Life's A Funny Thing
by ITgwendolendragon
Summary: Donna, Jackie and Hyde go to NYC in 2001 to fill out the final forms on Hyde's new record shop, but while they're there, they find a familiar face of whom they haven't seen in over 22 years. Donna/Eric/Jackie love triangle.
1. Chapter 1

A/N – My first That 70's Show fanfic. I thought it would only be right if I wrote a story about my favorite television show of all time. A few changes though. Season 8 never happened. Because it sucked balls. Things just weren't the same without Eric there. Anyways, this is a Donna/Eric/Jackie fanfic. I was just gonna have it be an Eric and Jackie thing, but I thought it would be more interesting if I had a love triangle. I hope you enjoy. :)

Disclaimer – I don't own That 70's Show or any of their characters.

March 4, 2001

It had been 21 years since the group parted ways. 21 years since Michael Kelso moved in with his now wife Brooke and his baby girl Betsy. 21 years since Fez opened his own beauty salon that he ran with Jackie. 21 years since Donna was hired by Hyde to work at his record store. But it's been 22 years since Eric left.

Donna Pinciotti was amazed at how everyone has grown up and matured. Kelso's oldest daughter Betsy just turned 22 a couple of months ago, he had another daughter named Michelle who would be eight by the end of the month. He still lived in Chicago with Brooke and they were a happily married couple. She was still a librarian and Kelso was actually a stay at home father.

Fez was the only one who never grew up completely. He never got married (except for Laurie of course, and you see how well that went), he was still a player though. He wasn't with anyone at the moment, but he keeps telling everyone about a girl named Sue who he cuts hair for every six weeks. It's too bad she's almost twenty years his elder.

Hyde wasn't married, but he was seeing a woman named Quinta right now. Donna deemed them perfect for each other, because Quinta was Hyde as a woman, personality wise anyway. He owned the record store in Point Place, but he also had a chain of other record stores left behind by his father, who was recently deceased.

Jackie worked with Fez in Point Place, but they were talking about opening another salon in a larger area where they could get more customers. Jackie loved the idea since she always wanted to live in a big city, she's already offered to manage one in Chicago. Donna knows Jackie actually wants to live in Chicago just so she can see her goddaughters more often. She loved those two so much.

And Donna was married once. Back in 1983, when she realized her and Eric weren't going to be together. She married a man named Kanul. He was born and raised in India, but moved to America for work purposes. He and Donna dated for a year or so before he proposed to her on Christmas Eve in 1982. The wedding was beautiful, they invited everyone they held dear to their hearts. Donna invited Eric, sending him an invitation to where he was living in Chicago at the time, but he never showed. He didn't even have the curtesy to send a letter or drop a call to tell them he couldn't attend. Donna was actually a little hurt that she hasn't heard from him in almost twenty years.

Anyway, after Donna and Kanul got married, they honeymooned in Paris, where Donna always wanted to go but never had the money to afford. But Kanul was well on money, so he pitched in and helped pay for it.

After their honeymoon, they came back home and went straight back to work. Kanul was always gone on business, so he left Donna alone a lot of the time. In 1987, she told Kanul she was pregnant and in the February of 1988, she gave birth to a baby girl they called Callie.

Callie was a happy little girl, was always smiling and she was fearless. Until the year of 1999, when tragedy struck.

Kanul took off work for a couple of weeks around Christmas to be with the family, it was the first time he's done that in at least ten years, maybe more. He just wanted to spend time with them, and Donna and Callie were excited. But on December 23, Kitty Forman had called up Donna, who only lived a few miles away, and asked if she could get Kanul to go pick up Laurie from the airport, as Red wasn't feeling well (he had just suffered a stroke a few months back). Kanul said he would and left to go get her, telling his girls he'd be back in under an hour.

So Donna and Callie waited. And waited. And waited. Then it was Callie's bedtime. So then Donna waited some more. After around eleven o'clock that evening, a policeman knocked on the door and told Donna the most awful news. Kanul and Laurie were hit by a drunk driver on the interstate. The car was apparently sideswiped and it rolled several times before stopping in a ditch. Kanul suffered fatal head wounds, Laurie suffered serious head wounds as well and was now paralyzed from the waist down and could hardly do anything for herself.

Donna remembers falling to her knees as the policeman told her what had happened. She doesn't remember crying, she just remembers shaking uncontrollably and thinking about how she was going to tell her daughter her daddy was gone.

Callie was tougher now than she was before, everything that came her way, she knocked down. Donna tried dating again after about a year and a half of mourning, but Callie hated the two men that she brought home. She always thought Donna was trying to replace her father when Donna was really just trying to move on.

"Mom," The small voice of the thirteen year Callie spoke as Donna sit on the bed herself and Kanul once shared. She turned towards the voice and smiled sweetly to her beautiful dark haired daughter.

"Yes sweetie?" She said softly, like if she spoke too loudly, the walls would crumble around them.

Callie looked unsure of herself, almost nervous as she asked, "Are you sure it's alright that I tag along to New York with you?"

Donna smiled sweetly and nodded slightly, "Of course, it is. You know your Uncle Hyde already told you it was alright that you came."

Callie still didn't look sure, "Really? But I thought Hyde didn't like it when I'm around for extended amounts of time."

Donna casted her a confused look, "What? Where did you hear that?"

Callie shrugged and averted her gaze shyly as she slowly inched towards her mother, "He just seems annoyed with me after a while."

Donna smirked sweetly at her daughter as she grabbed her considerably smaller hands and squeezed them gently, "He's like that with everybody. Trust me… He loves you very much, don't forget that."

Callie nodded and smiled softly, "Okay."

Donna smiled and averted eye contact, instead focusing her attention on her daughter's hands. Donna always thought her daughter looked more like Kanul than her. She had his eyes, but Kanul always said that she had her nose. Donna missed him so much.

"Mom?" Donna jerked her up when she heard her daughter's sweet voice.

"Mm?" Donna hummed, looking into her daughter's warm brown eyes.

Callie raised an eyebrow and brought a hand to her mother's face, wiping her pale cheek, "Why are you crying?"

Donna didn't even notice. She averted her gaze once again and wiped her eyes, "Um, why don't you go finish packing? Okay?"

Callie kept her eyes trained on her mother, concerned for her, but she nodded anyway and started to leave, "Yeah… Okay…"

Donna waited for her daughter to leave the room completely before she let the tears fall again. No matter what anybody said, the 'it'll be okay' or 'it'll get better over time,' those were lies. It never got better. And it never would.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them, they give me the motivation to write more. So thanks again.**

 **Disclaimer – I do not own That 70's Show or any of it's characters.**

March 4, 2001

"Alright, everybody ready to go?" Forty-one year old Steven Hyde asked as he slammed the trunk to his car.

The girls were already in the car and have been for the past ten minutes. Callie stuck her front half out the passenger side window and called out to Hyde, "We've been ready for an eternity, we're just waiting on you, slow poke."

Steven grimaced and shook his head as he walked around to the driver's side and swung the door open, "Smart ass," He mumbled as he got into his seat.

Callie smiled proudly as she crossed her arms, looking over at her 'Uncle Hyde' as he buckled his seat belt. She was always trying to outsmart him. Callie looked out her window and began to daydream as Hyde pulled out of the driveway of Donna's house.

Now off to New York City. It was a long drive, plus they had to stop somewhere for the night, so they probably wouldn't get there until tomorrow afternoon sometime. Callie would find this annoying, as she hates long car rides, but she always wanted to go to NYC.

So off Steve drove.

Hours later, right at sunset, Callie started complaining of being bored. She had entertained herself long enough with her Game Boy and listening to music had become a bore after they had heard the same song three times in two hours.

"When are we stopping? When are we eating? What are we eating? It better not be McDonald's, 'cause I'm not in the mood," Callie rambled on irritably.

"Callie, would you shut your pie hole for just a few seconds, please?" Hyde spit out through his grit teeth.

Callie furrowed her brow and sent him a look, "Fine."

And so she was quiet. Jackie sighed in relief and put her chin in her hand and closed her eyes. Maybe she could catch a little shut eye. That proved to be impossible though, as Callie decided to speak again.

"Are we going to eat soon, or…?" Callie questioned, leaning forward and peering up at Hyde.

Steven groaned and shook his head, "I thought I told you to be quiet?"

Callie nodded and pursed her lips, "You said to be quiet for a few seconds, it's been a few seconds, so I ask, when are we eating?"

Donna let her head fall back against the headrest and groaned, "Oh my God… You remind me of Eric so much."

Callie furrowed her brow, barely able to hear her mother's words. She turned around in her seat to look at her mother, "You sure do mention him a lot. Why won't you ever tell me about him?"

Donna closed her eyes and sighed. She shouldn't have said anything, but Hyde was curious.

"Yeah, why don't you ever talk to her about Forman?" Hyde asked. He was actually confused as to why she never got into real conversations that focused on Eric.

"Forman?" Callie raised her eyebrows, "Like Red and Kitty Forman?"

Hyde nodded, "Yeah, Eric's their son."

"Is he the skinny guy in all those photos on the mantel?" Callie questioned, earning a nod from Hyde, "Those are all from the 70's. Are there any recent photos of him?"

Hyde grimaced, keeping his eyes glued to the road, "No… Eric took off back in the early 80's, nobody's seen him since. Haven't even gotten a lousy phone call or a letter."

Callie furrowed her brow, "What? That's a little weird."

Hyde nodded, "Yeah, well… Eric was weird…"

Callie pursed her lips and looked around the car at everyone before smiling and slumping back in her seat, crossing her arms, "Tell me about him."

Donna jerked her head up, "What?"

Callie rolled her eyes, "You heard me. Tell me about him. What was he like? What did he like? Was he nice? Funny? Interesting?"

"He was two out of the three," Hyde remarked, smiling a little bit before he yawned.

Callie frowned. Why didn't anybody want to talk about him? It confused her.

"Come on… Please tell me about him," Callie begged, clasping her hands together.

Donna furrowed her brow and looked at her daughter, "Why do you want to know about Eric so much?"

"Because, you bring him at least every other day," Callie said as if it were obvious, "And you keep a picture of him in your wallet… I just didn't know it was him until now."

Jackie smiled and cast a glance towards Donna, "You keep a picture of Eric in your wallet?"

Donna blushed and averted eye contact as Jackie continued gawking at her, her wide annoying smile still present, "That's kind of weird, isn't it?"

Callie then looked over to Jackie, "How is that weird?"

Jackie looked to Callie and pursed her lips into a smile as she crossed her arms, "Donna never told you?"

"Told me what?" Callie questioned with a confused look.

"I would've figured she'd at least tell you that," Jackie said before leaning forward to tell Callie Donna's secret, "Eric was Donna's first boyfriend."

Callie acted as if she were disgusted as she looked to her mother, "And you kept a picture of him in your wallet? Even while you were married to Dad?"

Donna shook her head as she looked at her daughter again, "Eric was more than my boyfriend. Long before we were a couple we were best friends, and we still were… Until he left."

"Where did he go, you think?" Callie asked, seemingly forgiving Donna already for the wallet thing, "Maybe he went to Chicago?"

Hyde snickered with a crease in his brow, "Forman in Chicago? He's not tough enough for that."

"I've been to Chicago, it's not that bad," Callie said, seeming confused as she stared at her Uncle.

"Chicago was a bit different back in the day, Callie," Hyde explained, "Most big cities were. Except for good 'ol San Francisco, where all the hippies used to go. Where they still go."

Callie beamed, "Well, maybe he went there?"

Jackie shook her head, "Doubt it. Eric wasn't really the flower power type."

"New York?" Callie suggested.

Hyde shook his head, "That place was tougher than Chicago, no way Forman would end up there."

"Well, maybe he moved there recently," Callie shrugged, leaning back in her seat as she beamed and looked around at her family, "Hey, maybe we'll run into him while we're there?"

Hyde scoffed, "Yeah, maybe."

Callie crossed her arms and looked out the window. She was curious now, she had to figure out how to find out more about this Eric guy and soon, too.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N – Sorry it took so long, I've had finals this week and the stress was real. I should be updating more frequently now. So here's a new chapter, hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer – I don't own That 70's show, blah, blah, blah.

March 5

The girls and Hyde had decided to stop for the night after arriving in NYC a little earlier than planned. Callie was tired and everybody was hungry, so they stopped to eat dinner and then rented a room to stay in for the weekend.

When the morning came, Callie was the first one up, as she was used to getting up this early because of school. She went into the bathroom, showered, brushed her teeth, did her hair and when she was finished she went out into the room to see if anyone else was up, and there was. Jackie was awake, as was Donna.

"Good morning," Callie greeted with a small smile as she put her dirty clothes into their travel bag.

"Good morning," Jackie said in return before standing and heading for the bathroom, brushing against Callie's shoulder in the process.

Callie looked at her mother as Jackie shut the bathroom door, her eyes looking very much like her father's in that moment, "What time are we going to look at the store?" The small girl asked.

Donna shrugged and looked down at her hands sleepily, "I don't know. Probably before lunch."

Callie nodded and sat across from her mother, "What are we doing after that?"

Donna shrugged, "To eat, then after that… I don't know."

Callie smiled brightly, "Well, if we don't have any plans after that, we should go sightseeing. I mean, it is New York, we have to at least see the Statue of Liberty."

Donna raised her eyebrows at her daughter's excitable attitude, "Yeah, if you want, we can try and go see that."

Callie smiled brighter, "Yes!"

Donna rolled her eyes and rested her chin in her hand as her daughter stood and went back to the bed to sit and watch TV. It was going to be a long day.

"I kind of liked that place," Jackie said as the four drove away from their new record store, "It had that nice feel to it… You know what I mean?"

Donna nodded, "Yeah, I liked it too. There seems to be some nice places around it."

"Maybe we won't get too many street rats," Jackie suggested, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Doubt it," Hyde piped up from the driver's seat, "Are you sure you're up for running the place, Donna? I mean, you'll have to pack up everything and just move to a completely different place. A city, no less. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Donna gave Hyde a look, her eyebrows furrowed in an annoyed way, "What are you trying to say?"

Hyde shrugged, "Well, I guess I'm just a little nervous letting you and Callie live in a city like this by yourselves, that's all."

Jackie smiled sweetly and cast Hyde a glance, "Awe… He does have a heart."

"Shut up," Hyde snapped, hitting his turn signal.

Callie was expertly ignoring the three adults in the car, all her attention focused on the picture her mother had in wallet of Eric. Her mother wasn't paying attention, so she had just grabbed it out of her purse without her noticing.

She was trying to take in Eric's features, so maybe if she ever saw him on the street or something she could easily recognize it as him.

The only problem was he could look completely different now as this picture was taken in 1979. The picture was of him and Donna standing by a lit Christmas tree. Apparently Kitty had wanted photos to send in the mail to all her relatives, because Callie knows that would be the only time Donna would ever stand in for picture, these days anyway.

Eric was a handsome boy with a slight frame, something she's heard Jackie make fun of several times before. Apparently he was quite nerdy as well. He liked Star Wars and Marvel Comics, especially Spider-Man, he built models out of Lego's, etc. Callie was curious as to what he looked like today. Was his hair gray? Was he fat? Did he have any hair at all? Did he look like Red?

"What do you got there, Callie?" Her mother's voice suddenly cut through her own thoughts.

Callie jerked her head up to see her mother's curious gaze on the picture in her hands, "How'd you get that?" Donna asked as she snatched the photo out of her hands.

"I just took it out of your wallet. I didn't think you would mind," Callie shrugged, seeming a little hurt by her mother's reaction.

"I should be concerned by how you did that without me noticing," Donna responded, looking down at the photo of Eric and going quiet.

It made Callie curious, her eyebrows raising, "What is it?" She asked, her mother's look making her concerned.

Donna smiled a little and stroked the picture with her thumb before she shrugged, "It's nothing."

Callie raised one eyebrow, letting the other move down, "I know it's something."

Jackie rolled her eyes and looked back at Callie from the passenger seat, "Its Eric's birthday today."

Callie nodded and looked over at her mother, "How old is he?"

"Forty-one," Donna replied, but her facial expression changed, "He was so stupid sometimes."

Callie tilted her head in befuddlement, "What? How?"

"Well… I know me and him were never going to be together. We wanted different things," Donna started, "But he could of at least said goodbye. He just up and left one day. But… On the other hand, I glad he left like he did."

"Why?" Callie questioned, staring intently at her mother.

Donna looked over her daughter, finally peeling her eyes away from the photo, "Because if he stayed I probably would of never met you father."

Callie smiled at her mother as Jackie started yelling at Hyde in the front seat, "Hyde, pay attention to the road, you could hit something."

"Hang on, I'm trying to figure out where the hell we are," Hyde snapped, staring down at the city map in his lap, his eyes every so often flicking up to check the road ahead of him.

"Hyde…" Jackie warned, gripping her seat tightly in nervousness.

"Hang on, Jackie," Hyde snapped, concentrating a little too hard.

Jackie looked up at the road ahead of them and saw a man on a skateboard of some sort jumping off the curb and into the street, crossing the road, not really paying attention to traffic.

"Hyde! Look out!" Jackie cried, grabbing onto Hyde's arm to get his attention.

Hyde jerked his head up and slammed on the breaks instinctively. He tried slowing his car down, but it was too late, he ran into the man crossing the road, knocking him back off of his skateboard. Jackie shrieked in horror and worry as Hyde gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white.

"Oh my God," Donna said from the back seat, her eyes wide.

"Oh God," Jackie said, unbuckling her seat belt, along with Donna and Callie before getting out of the car. Hyde was too shocked to move.

The three girls went around to the front of the car to see the man lying on his back, moaning in pain. His eyes were squinted closed as he moved ever so slightly.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" Jackie cried, looking down at his legs.

He was moving a little bit, so he didn't hurt his back. Not horribly, anyway.

"Jackie," Donna said, but Jackie didn't hear her.

"Do we need to call an ambulance?" Jackie asked, panicking a little bit.

"Jackie," Donna said again, but Jackie ignored her once more.

"Oh your mouth, it's bleeding," Jackie said, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Jackie!" Donna cried this time.

"What Donna?" Jackie snapped, turning to look at the slightly older woman.

"It's… It's…" Donna's finger was pointing at the man on the ground, her hands shaking a tad.

Jackie looked confused, "What?"

She looked down at the ground and her eyes went wide, her jaw dropping, allowing a gasp to escape her lips, "Oh my God."

Callie smiled a little bit, "It's Eric."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N – This is a long one. It's over 3000 words. I hope you enjoy and thanks for all the reviews, keep 'em coming, they inspire me.

Disclaimer – Cliché disclaimer here.

March 5

Eric Foreman was laying in front of the three girls moaning over his leg with a bit of blood dripping from his chin. He must've hit it when he fell. Jackie and Donna were shocked and Callie was smiling at how weird this chance encounter was. It was awesome.

Eric didn't seem to take in the girl's appearance too much, not even really realizing it was the two girls he grew up with all those years ago.

"Um…" Donna tried, but couldn't really get anything out. She didn't know what to say. I mean, what do you say to and ex-boyfriend that you were once engaged to who then decided to run off to Africa who then came home, but never to say 'hey, I'm back.'

The man on the ground, who was wiping his chin, looked up when he heard his name. His eyes then went wide at the realization of who had hit him with their car.

"Jackie?" Eric said in his seemingly tired sounding voice as he looked over to his ex-fiancé, "Donna?"

Donna stared at Eric, still not knowing what to say, so Jackie came to the rescue, "Oh my God, Eric! Are you okay?"

Jackie grabbed both his hands and helped pull him to his feet. He was still quite the light-weight. Eric got to his feet and brushed himself off before wiping his mouth with his sleeve again, mumbling something under his breath, "Second time this week…"

Jackie brushed that off before starting again, "Are you alright? You didn't break anything did you?"

Eric shook his head, still trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened, "Yeah, I'm fine, I think I'll— Ah!" He cried out as he took a single step forward. Jackie winced at this and sucked in a sharp breath.

"Oh God, we're so sorry," Jackie said, grabbing Eric's arm, "I tried telling Steven to watch where he was going."

Eric raised an eyebrow at this, "Steven? Hyde's with you?"

Jackie looked up into Eric's eyes, her heart skipping a beat. She never realized how pretty his eyes were, "Um…"

"Yeah, he's driving," Callie suddenly cut in, pushing between Eric and Jackie and looking up at the man, "Hi, I'm Callie. Donna's daughter. It's nice to meet you."

She suddenly grabbed Eric's hand and shook it roughly, "Um, yeah, it's very nice to meet you too."

Callie smiled and released his hand as Jackie asked, "Do you want a ride? We can take you home."

Eric nodded and looked back over at Jackie, "Yeah… Yeah, sure. That'd be nice."

"Okay, come on," Jackie nodded, gently pushing Callie out of the way and grabbing Eric's arm, helping him around the side of the car.

Jackie opened the passenger side door for him and helped into the seat, apologizing every time he winced or yelped a little bit.

"Oh God, are you okay, man? I really didn't see—" Hyde stopped talking when he recognized the familiar face. He facial expression went from that of worry and concern to… A really unidentifiable one.

"Hey Hyde," Eric said, but cried out when Hyde punched him in the arm hard, "Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"For leaving," Hyde snapped as he turned back to face the road as the three girls got into the car and closed the door.

Jackie smacked Hyde on the side of the head and glared at him with that signature Jackie snarl, "Steven! Be nice! You just ran him over for God's sake!"

Hyde scoffed, "Yeah, and he deserved it, too."

"Steven," Jackie warned.

Hyde stayed silent except for the incoherent mumbling to himself. Eric tried getting comfortable in his seat as Jackie rambled on, "Do we need to take you to a hospital?"

Eric shook his head and adjusted his skateboard between his feet, "No, I think I just sprained my ankle. I'll just put some ice on it when I get home."

"Where do you live?" Hyde asked blandly, as if he were infuriated with Eric. Which to be completely honest, he probably was.

"Just take a left up here," Eric directed, "I just live a few blocks away."

As Hyde put the car in drive and started towards the corner where his old friend had directed him, Callie started asking questions, "Are you any good on that thing?"

Assuming she was referring to the board, Eric turned to look at her and nodded, "I've been riding it for almost twenty years, so I guess you could say that."

Callie smiled, "What do you do?"

Eric was entertained by this girl. He liked her enthusiasm. Eric adjusted his shoulders, "I'm a photographer."

Donna raised an eyebrow, "What happened to being a teacher?"

Eric shrugged, wincing a little at the pain in his ankle, "I taught for a little while, but after about five years, the town got a little rough. There was a lot of drug dealing in the school, like hard drugs. Kids were getting into fights all the time, girls were getting assaulted, some kids threatened bodily harm on each other."

"So you just quit?" Donna asked, crossing her arms.

"I quit because I tried breaking up a fight once and kid pulled a knife on me," Eric responded.

Jackie's eyes widened, "Damn."

Eric nodded as Callie chirped up, "Have you ever been stabbed?"

Donna glared at her daughter, "Callie!"

"What?" Callie asked, seeming confused, but Eric just laughed.

"No, I've never been stabbed," Eric responded to her question, "But I've been threatened to be a few times."

Callie nodded and leaned back in her seat. Jackie and Eric so badly wanted to ask about where Eric's been all these years, why he's never come back to see anybody, but they decided they'd try to do that later, maybe when Callie wasn't around.

"Now where to Forman?" Hyde asked from the driver's seat.

Eric looked out the windshield, "Just keep going straight to rest of the way, I'll tell you when to stop."

"What do you take pictures of?" Callie asked.

Eric shrugged, "Mostly people. I like to see what kind of lifestyles people from all around the world have. I like to see how their lives are different from ours."

"Does that mean you've been to different countries?" Callie asked, her eyes wide.

Eric nodded, "Yep."

Callie beamed, "Where?"

Eric pondered for a moment, trying to think of a few, "India, Spain, Africa, of course, Turkey, China, Pakistan…"

"Cool…" Callie smiled. She was really interested.

"Wow, you've been everywhere, Forman," Hyde spoke, "But not to see us. Why is that, exactly?"

Eric frowned and looked down at his hands in his lap, not really feeling in the mood to talk about this, so he stayed silent.

Hyde nodded, "Too much of a wuss to talk about it, huh? You haven't changed much, Forman."

Eric was feeling a bit awkward like this, so thankfully Jackie chimed in, "Do we have to do this now, Steven?"

Hyde pursed his lips and shook his head, "No. But we have to talk about it sometime."

"Yeah, but not right now," Jackie snapped back, seeming a little defensive.

Eric cleared his throat, trying to clear the tension a tad, "So… Girls, what do you two do?"

Jackie smiled and crossed her legs, "Well, I work with Fez at a hair salon. Your Mom is always coming in there for a new style."

Eric smiled, feeling his eyes burn with unshed tears, "Yeah… How are my parents, by the way?"

Jackie didn't even notice his uneven tone of voice, so she just answered chirpily, "They're doing fine. Your Dad's walking again, that's great."

"What do you mean 'again'? What happened?" Eric asked, looking back at Jackie, his head jerking around roughly. It almost gave Jackie whiplash just watching him.

"You—You don't know?" Jackie asked, surprised that he didn't know this information, "You don't talk to your parents?"

Eric looked down again, feeling ashamed, "I know, it's sad, but… You just don't know my half of the story."

Jackie felt angry at Eric for not even keeping in contact with his parents. He should have at least done that. But Jackie couldn't be too mad either, because he was right, she didn't know his half of the story.

"He had a stroke," Donna said. Well, she wasn't going to hold back her anger, "We thought he was going to die. The left side of his body is paralyzed, he just sort of drags his left foot around. And your sister, yeah, she can barely speak. She was in a car accident a year ago, I bet you didn't know that either."

Eric sniffed and averted everyone's gaze, not saying a word. Donna was right, and she had every right to be angry with him, "Stop here, Hyde."

Hyde slowed the car and came to a full stop on the curb before putting the car and park and turning it off. He turned to look at Eric. He looked defeated. Hyde was angry at him before, but seeing his friend so broken pulled a bit of sympathy out of him.

"Here, I'll help you out," Hyde said, getting out of the car and walking around the side. Eric waited for his old friend to open his door before he wiped his eyes and looked up at Hyde, "Come on, man."

Hyde helped Eric out of the car as Jackie and Callie made their way out of the backseat. Jackie felt her heart leap at Eric's limping self. She felt bad for him. She had to yell at Hyde later for that.

"Here let me help," Jackie offered, taking Eric's other arm and tossing it over her shoulders. He seemed bonier than she remembered.

"Is this it here?" Hyde asked as he reached one of the doors in front of him, making Eric nod.

"My rooms on the third floor," Eric informed him.

Hyde opened the door as Donna got out of the car, her angry expression still on her face. Hyde and Jackie helped Eric inside before starting up the steps. It took a few minutes with an injured Eric to get to the third floor, Jackie apologizing every so often when Eric yelped out in pain.

Eventually, they got to Eric's room with him directing where to go and he pulled his keys out of his pocket. He put the key in the lock and opened the door before turning to his friends, "Um… Would you guys like to come in?"

Jackie smiled sweetly and nodded, "Yeah, sure."

Eric moved out of their way and let them pass him by into the living room of his nicely sized apartment. It was kind of dirty, needed dusting, but it wasn't bad.

There was an old brown couch in the middle of the room and an old TV in front of it, a coffee table between them both. There was a can of beer on the table and an ashtray with cigarette but's there as well.

Jackie raised an eyebrow at this and wondered if Eric smoked now, "Shit," She heard the slightly older man say as he tossed his keys onto the kitchen counter. She looked over at him and noticed him staring at the several cans and bottles on the counter where he'd thrown his keys.

There were at least three beer cans and a bottle of wine up there. Did Eric drink all that?

"Chris?" Eric called out, picking up the empty alcohol cans and bottles and tossing them into the trash.

Jackie heard some thumps coming from the short hallway and a door creak open before a boy revealed himself in the living room. He was a teenager, maybe sixteen or a little younger. He had brown unkempt hair and large glasses over his dark eyes.

"Yes?" He replied, standing in the hall awkwardly, his hands clenching and unclenching, he didn't really take notice of the other four standing in the room with him.

Eric took notice over the boy's erratic behavior and raised an eyebrow, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Chris replied in a monotone voice, as if he were trying not to get upset.

Eric nodded, "Where's your mother?"

Jackie was confused. Was the kid Eric's son? Was Eric married? Why did he seem so concerned about all the alcohol laying around?

"She's sleeping," Chris replied, looking over to finally notice the others in the room, to which he suddenly averted eye contact.

"In bed?" Eric asked, throwing the last bottle into the trash bin.

The boy nodded and looked down at his feet as Eric sighed in relief, "Are you okay?" He asked again.

The boy nodded, but it wasn't convincing enough for Eric, "Alright, we'll talk about this later, I have some people I want you to meet."

Eric stepped over to Chris, passing his friend's on the way by. He gently put his hand on the boy's shoulder and directed him over to his friend's, "Chris these are my old friends, Steven Hyde, Donna Pinciotti and Jackie Burkhart, and this is Donna's daughter, Callie."

"It's Dubashi now, Eric," Donna informed him, a little too bitterly, though.

Chris looked up shyly and refused to make eye contact with anyone as he shook all of their hands firmly, but quickly, "Nice to meet you all."

He turned back to look at Eric quickly, "Can I go back to my room now?"

Eric smirked softly and nodded, "Of course."

"Thank you," He said before turning and leaving the room quickly.

Jackie smirked as he left, "He's odd."

Eric shrugged and scratched the back of his head, "He's just a little shy, that's all," He said before switching the subject quickly, "Do you guys want a drink?"

Hyde nodded, "Yeah, man. I need something to relax me after a long two days with three constantly chatting women."

Eric chuckled lightly let a tired smirk play across his lips. There's the Steven Hyde he remembers. Eric turned and went into the kitchen to get drinks, his limp still present. The three other adults in the room sat at the bar and waited for Eric to hand them a beer as Callie followed Eric into the kitchen.

He looked down at her and then back to the fridge, "What would you like to drink? We've got some Orange Juice, Milk, Soda… Are you allowed to have soda?"

Callie nodded, "Yeah, I'm not five."

Eric chuckled and nodded, "Alright then," Eric liked this little girl. She was feisty, but not feisty like Donna. Callie seemed more straight to the point than Donna, didn't take no for an answer. Must have been a trait of her father's. Eric handed the girl a Coke and then stood, four beers in his hand.

He hobbled over to the bar and set three of the drinks in front of his friends as he popped the top on his own beer and took a swig.

Callie wiped her upper lip of Coca-Cola residue before looking at the photos on the fridge. There was at least a dozen. There was one of Eric when he was younger, looks like it may have been taken in the late 80s. He was standing by a railing, the Statue of Liberty tiny in the background as Eric held up a peace sign, a beaming smile on his youthful face. Callie smiled as she looked at some of the other photos. There was one of a women with a little baby in her arms, another was a photo of Eric with a child, maybe five or six year olds, and another of Chris at an outdoor restaurant of some sort, smiling. Chris must be the baby and child in these other photos.

Callie turned to Eric as he tried starting conversation with his old friends, "Excuse me, Mr. Eric," Callie tugged on the hem of his shirt.

Eric looked down at her, "Yes?"

"Can I go talk to Chris?" Callie asked curiously. She didn't know why, but the boy intrigued her.

Eric nodded, "Yeah, sure. Just don't be to conversational, take it kind of slow. He's not used to yet, so it may take a while to get a conversation actually going."

Callie nodded, "Okay, I'll be gentle," Callie said sarcastically taking another swig of her drink before walking down the hall to find Chris.

That left the four adults in the kitchen together, not knowing at all what to say. This was going to be an awkward afternoon.

That night, after trying desperately to avoid an argument with Donna and trying to keep the other two entertained, Eric decided he'd step outside for some fresh air. He needed a break from everything that had happened today.

As he looked up at the sky, the stars barely visible because of the bright city lights, he thought. He thought about his parents and his sister, his strained relationships with his friends, how he was going to explain his absence to them all and not make them angry about it.

He heard the door to his building squeak open, but he didn't look back to see who it was. He thought it was just one of his neighbors coming out to take a walk or something.

"Hey," He heard the familiar feminine voice.

He looked over to see Jackie standing next to him, her arms crossed over her chest as she braved the cold.

"Hey," Eric replied as he looked back up at the stars.

Jackie wanted to ask him so many things, but she didn't know where to start, so she went with the easy route, "Happy Birthday."

Eric looked over at her and smiled, "You remembered. After all these years."

"I've always remembered," Jackie said. She noticed Eric's cheeks become a little red as she realized the way she made that sound.

"Well, thanks for remembering," Eric said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"So…" Jackie started, kicking her foot, "Is uh… Is Chris your son?"

Eric smirked and shook his head, "No. No, he's my roommate's kid."

Jackie nodded, "He's nice."

Eric nodded, "Yeah."

This was awkward.

"Why did you keep asking him if he was okay?" Jackie asked, serious concern in her voice.

Eric looked down at his feet, as if he didn't want answer the question.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm intruding. Sorry," She said, blushing furiously.

Eric shook his head, "No, no it's okay. You're just concerned," Eric said before looking up at her, "His Mom is uh… She's a bit of an alcoholic and sometimes she gets a little too drunk and she yells at him."

Jackie looked shocked, "Does she ever…" She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Hit him?" Eric asked, "Yeah, sometimes. I try to be there when she's drunk though so I can protect him."

"Has she ever hit you?" Jackie just asking questions, but Eric didn't mind.

"Yeah," Eric said, "I don't want to report her though, because she's trying to stop drinking and she always says she's sorry… I don't know, I guess I just have too much faith in people sometimes."

Jackie pursed her lips into a thin line and put a hand on Eric's arm, "That's a good quality, I think."

Eric just shrugged and sniffled at the cold, "I better get back inside, see if Callie's still chatting Chris's ear off."

Jackie giggled at that, "She tends to have that effect on people."

Eric smiled and turned around, "Come on, we don't want you getting frostbite out here without a jacket on."

Jackie smiled and nodded, following Eric back inside.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N – This chapter is longer than the last one. It's almost 5000 words. Marla's Lost – There will be more Hyde and Eric arguing type stuff soon, Hyde might want to fight. Let's hope nobody gets hurt. Lol. Reviewers keep reviewing, it makes me happy and inspires me to write more. Anyway, there's a bit of a plot twist in this one. So, be prepared as Scar would say.

Disclaimer – Blah, blah, bloop.

March 6, 2001

Donna had had a hard time sleeping that night, she was constantly tossing and turning. She had a hundred things on her mind. How she was going to run the new record store on her own, how Callie was going to adapt to a new place, especially an unfamiliar big city, and why Eric had left. It just boggled her mind how Eric had left and stayed out of touch with everyone. He didn't even call his parents or write them letters, telling them how he was. He didn't even know his Dad was sick or that Laurie was paralyzed.

Donna tossed and turned a few more times, trying to get comfortable in this very uncomfortable guest room bed, Jackie and Callie sleeping soundly next to her whilst Hyde slept on the floor. But she just couldn't get comfortable, so she decided to get up and stretch, maybe go get a drink.

Donna pushed the blankets off her legs and swung her feet over the side of the bed and hopped onto the floor, making sure not to land on Hyde, who was right next to the bed. The only other movement in the room was Callie groaning tiredly and pulling the blankets further up on her body.

Donna made sure she was asleep before she turned and went out the door, the door creaking just a bit, but it made Donna wince at the sound.

After she closed the door, Donna made her way down the short hallway, the sound of TV at low volume pricking at her ears. Was somebody still up? Was Chris's mother awake? Oh God, Donna hoped not, that would be awkward. Donna didn't even think that the woman knew there were people visiting.

So thank God that it was only Eric in the living room, his eyes glued to the TV. He didn't notice Donna enter the room, so it gave Donna a moment to watch him, see if he really had changed that much.

He was still as thin as ever, never really put on too much weight, his yellow shirt hung over his shoulders heavily, as if it were two times his size, and the be truthful, it probably was. He did seem paler though, a lot paler, almost sickly pale, it almost worried Donna. He had dark circles under his eyes, they were very noticeable against his pale skin, and another thing Donna noticed was Eric's slightly greying hair. It wasn't grey all over, but there were several streaks in his still dark hair, but the grey in his hair complimented him more than it made him look older. And Donna could see the stubble on Eric's chin, he looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple of days.

Donna walked a couple of small steps into the living room, now noticing Chris's presence as well. He was asleep, leaning against Eric's shoulder, his glasses still on.

Donna decided now she should make her presence known. She cleared her throat quietly as she entered the room further, but it was loud enough for Eric to notice she was there. He looked up at Donna and smiled tiredly, "Hey."

Donna smiled back, "Hi."

Eric looked at her curiously and whispered, "What are you doing up?"

Donna shrugged, "Couldn't sleep."

Eric nodded in acknowledgment and looked down at Chris as he moved a tad, but his eyes stayed closed as he let out a gentle breath.

"What about him? Do you guys just stay up late and watch TV?" Donna asked curiously, stepping a bit closer, her hands clasped at her waist.

Eric shook his head as he peered down at Chris, "No… He had a nightmare, so he came out here to talk. He just fell asleep a minute ago."

Donna nodded, "Does this happen often?"

Eric shrugged, "It's on and off. He'll go a couple of weeks without nightmares, then they come back."

Donna smiled as Eric slowly inched away from Chris and laid the boy down on his back, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch and laying it over the boy's body up to his shoulders. Eric then took off his glasses and rested them on the coffee table before he turned to look at Donna, "Um, would you a glass of water or…"

Donna nodded, "Uh, yeah. Sure."

Donna then followed Eric quietly into the kitchen and waited as he pulled out some glasses from the cabinet. She looked at the photos on the fridge that Callie had been looking at earlier. She smiled at some of them.

"Is this Chris in this photo here?" Donna pointed to the photo of Eric and a small child.

Eric turned to look at where Donna was pointing and nodded with a small smile on his face, "Yeah. That was taken a few months after I moved in."

"How old is here?" Donna asked.

"Uh… Probably about six," Eric replied as he turned on the sink and filled the two cups he had in his hands.

"And how old is he now?" Donna just kept asking more and more questions, but never the one that was really on her mind.

"Fifteen," Eric responded, handing Donna a glass of water.

"Thanks," She said, "So you've pretty much watched him grow up, huh?"

Eric nodded, "Yeah… He's kind of like the son I never had."

Donna smiled at that, but then asked, "So… You've never been married?"

Eric shook his head, "No."

"Never had any kids of your own?" Donna was very curious as to what was holding him down here.

"Chris is all I've got," Eric said, taking a sip of his water.

Donna was trying to find the right time to ask him the big question, and Eric knew it too. She just didn't know how to say it.

"So…" Donna said as Eric stayed quiet. Here goes nothing, I guess, "Eric. Why'd you leave?"

Eric sighed and looked down at his bare feet. There it was. The question he was dreading to hear, "It's really a whole slew of things Donna, and I'm not going to get into them right now."

"A whole slew of things? Eric, you were barely twenty years old? What happened that was so bad that you never came back?" Donna asked, getting a little upset.

Eric bit his lip before looking up at Donna, "Do we have to talk about this now?"

"We have to talk about it sometime!" Donna whispered harshly, her grip tight on the glass of water in her hand.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow!" Eric snapped back, "I don't want to wake Chris right now, I'm tired and I don't feel well, so I'm going to bed!"

Eric poured the excess water into the sink and left the cup on the counter before storming off to his bedroom, leaving Donna in the kitchen by herself.

Callie, as usual, was the first one up that morning. She had already gotten dressed, but she had decided not to shower right now, not really in the mood for it this morning. So she walked down the hall and into the living room, passing by Chris on the couch, not really even noticing him lying there.

She went into the kitchen, searched the fridge for something to drink and decided on orange juice. She poured herself a glass and drank up. She drank about half of it before she finally noticed that the couch was occupied.

Callie smirked and drank a little bit more of her OJ before setting it on the counter and stepping into the living room. She stood above Chris as he snored softly. He was curled into the fetal position, facing away from Callie.

Callie decided she needed some company, so she decided to wake him up. She poked him in the lower back with her bony little finger, causing him to jerk, but stay asleep. Callie rolled her eyes and poked him again, this time whispering for him to wake up, but Chris only groaned again.

Callie huffed and gazed down at the boy for a moment before coming up with the master plan. She stuck her finger in her mouth, pulled it out and jabbed him in the ear, causing him to jerk awake.

"Jesus! What the hell?" Chris cried as he rolled over and wiped his ear, then noticed a smiling Callie standing over him, "Callie?"

"Good morning, sunshine," Callie smiled smugly.

"Why'd you do that?" Chris asked in his nasally voice.

Callie shrugged, "I wanted company and you were conveniently lying here, so…"

"You could just shook me awake or something," Chris complained, avoiding her gaze.

Callie shrugged, "Yeah, but that'd be no fun."

Chris sighed and sat up, searching for his glasses, but couldn't seem to find them.

"Here," Callie said, handing them to him.

Chris took them and put them over his brown eyes, "Thanks."

After the small little tuft they had, Chris has resorted back to his awkward, quiet self and Callie went to teasing him for it. The two teenagers went into the kitchen to find something to eat, so as Chris did that, Callie examined the pictures on the fridge.

"You know, you didn't smile a lot as a kid," Callie noticed.

Chris just shrugged, "Yeah."

"How come?" Callie asked, genuinely curious.

Chris shrugged again, "I didn't really like pictures."

Callie looked over at him, "Do you like them now?"

"I like taking them," Chris responded as he pulled a box of Pop Tarts out of the cabinet, but grimaced when he realized it was empty.

Callie looked at the photo of Eric and Chris, "Is Eric your Dad?"

Chris shook his head as he tossed the empty box into the trash bin, "No."

Callie looked at the picture of the woman and the baby, "What's your Mom like?"

"She's a—"

"Wonderful person," A womanly voice suddenly cut Chris off, causing the teenage boy to flinch and stop what he was doing.

Callie looked over to see the woman from the picture except now she looked like she was nearing her fifties and that she might be on hard drugs, she certainly looked like it. Her eyes were barely open as she stumbled into the kitchen, a pink bathrobe partially covering her half naked body.

"Chris honey, can you go get Momma's medicine?" The woman asked.

"Yes ma'am," Chris turned and left the room, leaving Callie in there with a hungover skank, as Callie has already lovingly decided to refer to her.

"Um…" Callie said, "I'm… Gonna go… Use the bathroom."

Callie then turned and left the room in a hurry as the woman pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Callie dashed down the hall to find Chris standing in his mother's bedroom, pulling something into a syringe. Callie gasped and dashed into the bedroom, rushing over to Chris.

"Chris!" Callie gasped, grabbing his wrist when she startled him, making sure he didn't accidently nick himself with the needle, "What are you doing?"

"I've getting Mom her medicine," Chris responded, as if it were obvious.

"Chris…" Callie said, knowing exactly what the dark orange liquid was, "That's not medicine."

Chris shook his head, "Yes it is. She says it helps her relax."

"No, Chris, that's not medicine," Callie informed him, "It's heroin."

Chris grimaced and shook her head, his brown greasy hair falling into his eyes, "No, no it's not."

Callie tightened her grip on his wrist, "Yes, it is."

"Chris!" Another voice suddenly called, a male voice.

Callie turned around to see Eric rushing into the room. He came over and snatched the needle out of the boy's hand and set it on the dresser next to him before grabbing the boy's shoulders, "How many times have I told you not to mess with this stuff?"

"As of today, thirteen times," Chris said. At first Callie thought he was just being a smart ass, but that was an actual number and that was an actual fact.

Eric grabbed the boys wrists and searched his arms, "You didn't stick yourself with it did you?"

Chris shook his head, "No."

Eric grabbed the boy's shoulder, "Get out of here, and don't let me see you touching this stuff again."

Chris nodded, "Yes, sir."

Eric rolled his eyes, "Don't call me that."

Chris nodded before he turned and left the room, leaving Eric and Callie in the room together. Callie for some reason felt very angry at Eric, "Do you do it too?"

Eric raised an eyebrow, "What?"

Callie clenched her fists, "Do you do it too?"

Eric, realizing what she was implying, widened his eyes and shook his head, "No! No, I don't."

Callie glared at the tall, thin man, "But you know that drunken woman does it and you do nothing to stop her?"

"I've tried, but nothing seems to work," Eric said.

"Rehab centers?" Callie suggested.

"We've already tried that," Eric informed the girl, "And the time she didn't try to escape, she just went back to her old ways in the end… You just can't help her."

"What if you just took it away from her? Made sure she couldn't have it?" Callie questioned, as if these were easy solutions.

"If she doesn't have her drugs," Eric started, "She gets violent."

Callie's face fell in realization, "How violent?"

"She punched Chris once," Eric said, his voice cracking a little bit.

"Is that why…?" Callie trailed off.

Eric nodded, "He seems uncomfortable talking about her? Yes."

Callie gulped, "Does she hit him often?"

Eric shrugged, "Only if she's deadbeat drunk. Which is several times a week. That's why I try to be home as much as I can to protect him."

Callie was pale. She kind of felt bad for picking on Chris yesterday for his quiet behavior and social handicap. She sort of felt protective over him now, "Is that why Chris is so quiet?"

Eric made a face at that, "Well, it may have something to do with it, but… Chris has always been like that. Ever since I knew him."

Callie nodded as Eric finished fixing Chris's mother 'medicine.' Eric put it on the tray with some other cup of pills before he turned to Callie, "You can't tell Chris's mother you know what this stuff is. I don't want you getting hurt too."

Callie gulped nervously and nodded, "Okay."

"Thank you," Eric said, "I'll try to help her, okay? Just give me some time."

Callie nodded once more as Eric left the room, she following close behind, only she turned the other way and went to Chris's room, to see if he was in there.

He was, so Callie went in to see him.

"Hey Chris," Callie said in a small voice.

Chris acknowledged her presence, but stayed silent.

"Um, listen," Callie started, "About yesterday… I'm really sorry for picking on you. I didn't mean all the things I said."

Chris didn't seem to care about all that though, as he spoke, "It's not true."

Callie raised an eyebrow, "What's not true?"

"She doesn't use heroin," Chris said, "She doesn't. I know she doesn't."

Callie nodded, "Okay."

Chris seemed to get angry all the sudden as he turned around and pointed angrily at Callie, tears in his eyes, "Take it back! She doesn't do drugs! Take it back!"

Callie nodded, a little frightened by his sudden angry behavior, "O-okay. I take it back, she doesn't use heroin."

Chris sniffled and dropped his hands by his sides, looking down at his feet as Callie shakily turned to leave the room, "Wait!" Chris called, making Callie stop in her tracks, "I'm sorry I yelled at you, I just get a little upset sometimes. Please don't leave."

Callie felt her heart break a little bit at the sound of his voice when he spoke those last three words. She turned back around and stepped towards him, "It's okay, Chris. I understand."

Chris nodded, but kept his head bowed as he sniffled. Callie gently put a hand on his arm to calm him down, knowing he's not really a huge fan of people touching him.

"Callie," The sound of Jackie's voice said from behind her. Callie turned around to face her, her face sad. Jackie noticed that the two were having a moment, but brushed off to talk about later, "Clean up. Eric's taking us out for breakfast."

Eric and the other four had piled up in Hyde's car, since apparently Eric didn't have one, he said he takes his skateboard everywhere, and the group went to some little diner near Greenwich Village that Eric says serves the best pancakes. They had taken Chris with them, but they dropped him off at a library close to his home before they continued on their journey.

After they got to the diner and all got sat down and ordered their food, they sat in silence, nobody really knew what to say.

Eric could tell Donna and Hyde weren't speaking as they didn't want to cause a scene. Jackie was the only one who really wasn't infuriated with him, which Eric found odd.

"So…" Eric started, "How's Kelso?"

Jackie smiled at the mention of her old boyfriend, but she was more excited to talk about her god-daughters, "He's doing great! He and Brooke are still married and they had another baby in the early nineties. She's a peach."

Eric smiled and nodded, "Is he still a police officer?"

Jackie shook her head, "No. He's a stay at home Dad."

Eric raised his eyebrows at that. Kelso? A stay at home Dad?

"I know, I thought it was weird at first too, but he's a great father, surprisingly," Jackie replied.

Then it was quiet again. Eric felt like somebody was going to say something to start it soon, he just didn't know who and he didn't know when.

"What about you, Hyde?" Eric spoke, "You married?"

Hyde shook his head, "Nope."

That was all he said and Eric frowned.

"He's seeing a girl right now named Quinta," Jackie rambled on, "They've been dating for a while. Hyde told me he thinks they're going to get married soon."

Eric then looked to Donna, "What about you, Donna. You said you were married, right?"

"Yeah. Was," She said.

"What happened?" Eric asked, "Did you get a divorce?"

Donna shook her head and dropped her fork down onto her plate as she looked over at Eric, her eyes angry, "No, he died. In a car accident. The one that paralyzed your sister."

Eric's face dropped and he looked down at his plate, starting to poke around at his food.

"You would've known that if you stuck around," Donna snapped, glaring at Eric spitefully.

Callie didn't like all this conflict, but she did want to know what had happened, so she stayed to watch it all go down.

"I'm sorry," Eric said quietly, not looking up at his friends.

"No you're not!" Donna spat as she stood abruptly, "You're weren't sorry then and you're not sorry now!"

Eric looked up at Donna and dropped his fork onto his plate, giving his old girlfriend a sympathetic look, "Donna—"

"No Eric! Let me speak!" Donna snapped, garnering the attention of the two men and older woman eating at the diner, as well as the three women working behind the counter, "You left all those years ago, and not once did you have the decency to drop by or call, or even right a damn letter! You don't even call your parents! Sometimes they think you're dead! But your mother never gives up hope that one day you'll come home to see her! She NEVER gave up!"

Eric felt his eyes sting with unshed tears as he averted his gaze again, "Can we talk about this outside?" He asked in a shaky voice.

Jackie never liked seeing people cry, especially people she cared about. Maybe when she was a teenager she was mean to the other girls at school, or she made fun of Fez every once in a while, but she's matured now and seeing people cry made her feel bad, even if she wasn't the one causing it.

All five of them stood and went out the door, but it took a minute for anybody to say anything. They all just stood out in the cold for a minute, the only thing in the air was tension.

"I want answers, Forman!" Donna snapped, her fists clenched as she took a daring step towards him, "I want you to tell me why you left!"

"I'm sorry that I left, okay?" Eric said, trying to avoid the topic at hand.

"Eric!" Donna yelled, grabbing a fistful of his shirt, surprising him as she pulled him close to her face, that anger glint in her eye, "Why did you leave?!"

Eric was getting tired of her being pissed at him. She's only been here a day, but Donna's anger was too much to handle, so he finally spoke, "Okay, I'll tell you why I left!"

Donna released his shirt after staring into his eyes angrily for moment before she pushed him back roughly.

Eric brushed himself off before he looked around at his three old friends, "I left, because I didn't want to fall in love with you again."

Donna seemed taken aback by this, "W-what?"

"I couldn't handle a relationship like that again," Eric went on, "I just couldn't."

"What do you mean by 'a relationship like that?'" Donna questioned, feeling a tad worried.

"I'd rather not say this in front of your daughter," Eric said, having a little sympathy for the girl.

Jackie pulled some money out of her back pocket and handed it to Callie, "Go get some ice cream or something, let us talk."

Callie nodded and walked past the four adults. She wanted to stay, but she had the decency to let them hash this out on their own.

After Callie was out of earshot, Donna asked again, "What did you mean by that, Eric?"

Eric shook his head and wiped a hand across his eyes before he finally let it out, "You can't stand here and tell me our relationship was a healthy one."

Donna's gaze softened at this, "W-what? What do you mean? I was always happy to be with you."

"Donna, you were always mad at me for one thing or another," Eric said honestly, "I couldn't keep anything to myself, you wanted to know every little thing about me, and even people in relationships need their private time. And you didn't want that."

"That's not true," Donna said, "I wasn't like that."

Eric nodded, "Yes you were," He replied, his voice shaky, "Everything I did, you got mad at. When we were broken up that time and you wrote that story about me, it upset me, but you didn't care. I did the same thing to you, though immature, I did it and you got bent out of shape about it and thought I was being an asshole."

"Oh come on, that's just one thing," Donna said.

"That one time you found out I dated another girl while we were broken up, you got pissed cause I didn't tell you about it," Eric said, "I didn't tell you about it because I wasn't an asshole and I didn't parade around in front of you with another girl on my arm like you did to be when you were dating Casey!"

"Eric…" Donna tried, but was cut off again.

"I when I told you I was getting ready to go to Africa, you called me selfish and said I didn't care about your feelings on the whole thing, but if you think back when you wanted to go to Madison and go to college I was completely ready to let you go, because I knew it was what you wanted!"

Donna looked hurt, and she tried to convince herself that she wasn't like that when she was with Eric.

"And yeah, I was a jackass sometimes," Eric admitted, "There were times where I was in the wrong and I was the one that needed to apologize, but half the time it was me doing the apology."

"Forman, you can't tell you left because you didn't want to 'fall in love' with Donna again," Hyde suddenly but into the conversation, "Have a little self-control, man."

Eric shook his head, "That's not the only reason I left," Eric said, "I also left because if I came back and my I saw my parents, I know my mother would've convinced me to stay and I couldn't stay in Point Place my entire life."

Hyde didn't buy that. He was hiding something, "What's the real reason, Forman?"

Eric looked up at Hyde, "That is the real reason."

Hyde shook his head and glared at Eric, "Don't give me that bullshit, Forman. I was talking to Chris last night and I asked him why you didn't have a car, because I was curious about that since when you were teenager you loved to drive. He told me that you can't get a driver's license for 'medical' reasons."

Jackie and Donna both looked at Eric in alarm, both suddenly concerned for his well-being. Hyde continued, "When I asked him what the medical reason was, he shut up and told me he'd already said too much."

Eric stayed quiet as he looked down at his feet, his fists clenched by his sides as his friends looked at expectedly, "Eric?" Jackie piped up, "Why can't you drive?"

Eric looked up at his friends, his eyebrows furrowed in a nervous way, "Um…"

Jackie stepped towards him a little, sympathy for him returning, "Eric?"

Eric let out an uneasy breath before he spoke, "I have seizures."

Everybody was quiet besides a collective gasp. They all stared at him in surprise, even Hyde was shocked. He thought he was going to say something like, a heart condition or his finger lock up, or something, but… Seizures?

Eric sighed, "I never came back because I was afraid of disappointing everybody. My Dad always wanted me to be something great, but I can't do anything like he wants me to, like join the Navy or be a firefighter, or something amazing, I had a hard enough time finding the job I have now."

Donna shook her head, "You couldn't have disappointed us because you have a disability, Eric."

Eric nodded as a tear fell from his eye, "You guys just don't understand. When I was first diagnosed with epilepsy, I was very sick. I almost died. It took the doctors forever to find me the right medication. I was in and out of the hospital for almost three year before they finally found the right medicine for me to take, and even then I was still having more seizures than I should be. It was just a few years ago that I was finally given the right medication that evened it all out."

"You… You almost died?" Jackie asked, her heart sinking a little bit.

"I had a violent seizure in '83 and I hit my head when I fell," Eric said, "I was in a coma for a few days. Then in '85 I had brain surgery, but it only seemed to make the seizures worse, a year later, they went back in, but it didn't seem to help."

"But… You're okay now, right?" Jackie asked.

Eric nodded, "I don't have full blown seizures but once or twice a month, but I have partial seizures several times a week."

"And… What happens during those?" Jackie asked.

Eric shrugged, "It depends on how severe it is. If it's small, to other people it looks like I'm just in a trance of some sort, but if it's complex than I might repeat the same thing over and over again and my arm sort jerks a bit. That's what I've been told anyway, with complex one's I usually don't remember."

"So, you just sort of… Black out?" Donna asked.

Eric nodded, "Sort of."

Hyde was still mad at him, "You could've at least called."

Eric shook his head, "I didn't want anybody knowing where I was."

Hyde shook his head, "Why? Nobody would've been upset with you for something you can't control."

Eric stayed silent as Hyde scoffed, "Red was right. You are a dumbass."

Hyde then walked past everyone and got back into his car and just sat there, waiting for everybody to decide to get in. After Callie came out of the diner with a cup of ice cream, Donna directed her into the car. Jackie continued to stare at Eric, her facial expression sad.

She stepped over to Eric and squeezed his forearm supportively, "I forgive you."

Eric looked up at Jackie and smiled sadly, "Thanks Jackie."

Jackie nodded and grabbed his hand, "Come on, let's get you home."

Eric nodded and followed Jackie back to the car.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N – Another chapter, yay! The ending for this one's kind of crappy, but I couldn't think of a good ending for it, so… Sorry. Marla's Lost – Eric continues to live with Chris and his mother because he feels responsible for Chris. He views Chris as his son and doesn't want to leave him behind with his drug addict of a mother. Thanks for the review!

Disclaimer – You know what it is.

After Hyde dropped off Eric, Donna, Jackie, Callie and Chris, he decided to go for a drive, not really in the mood to argue with Eric right now or even really look at him. So after they were all out of the car, he drove off, leaving his friends on the curb.

They all just kind of stood there awkwardly, nobody really wanting to speak. Donna kicked her foot as she held her hands behind her back as Jackie just looked between Donna and Eric, feeling the tension. Callie didn't like this awkwardness, so she turned to Chris and looked up at him.

"Hey Chris, wasn't there something you wanted to show me?" Callie asked, looking up at her new fried expectedly.

Chris gave her a confused look, "No, I don't think—"

"Yes, yes there was," Callie said, grabbing his wrist, "Come on, let's go inside, you know, to the thing you wanted to show me?"

Chris looked befuddled. What on Earth was she going on about? He just played along though as she turned and dragged him inside the apartment building behind them. Donna watched them go, and knew she had to go too. She didn't want to leave Callie in that place with that psycho woman for too long.

"Well, uh… I'm gonna go keep an eye on Callie," Donna said awkwardly, taking a step towards the door, "She can be quite the handful sometimes."

Eric smirked and nodded, "She's a great kid, Donna," He said, "I can tell you're a really great mother."

Donna smiled softly, but she was still a little upset with what happened earlier, "Thanks Eric."

He nodded as she turned to go to the door before he continued, "I'm just going to go on a walk and clear my head. I'll be back within in the hour."

Donna nodded in understanding, "Alright, I'll see you later."

Eric nodded and waved to her as she disappeared behind the door and out of sight. Eric sighed in relief. He didn't really know how much more of that awkward tension he could handle. He wiped his hands over his tired eyes before he noticed Jackie was still with him.

She was smiling up at him, her hands in her pockets. Eric raised an eyebrow, "What are you looking at me like that for?"

Jackie shrugged and walked past him, "Come on."

Eric turned to face her as she walked down the street, "What?"

Jackie huffed and rolled her eyes as she turned around and grabbed Eric's wrist, "I've only been in New York for a day, so I think I need somebody to show me around a little bit. I think you can handle that."

Eric smirked, not really liking this idea. He kind of wanted to be alone for a while, "I don't know."

Jackie slumped her shoulders and gave him a look, "What? You don't think you can handle a beautiful woman for one night?"

Eric smiled. There was the old Jackie. He sighed and gave in, figuring it was probably a bad idea to argue with her, "Alright, fine."

Jackie smiled and grabbed Eric's hand, "Yay!" She squealed in a chipper way, "Now come on, tour guide, let's get moving."

The hour walk turned into an all day event, and Eric was actually kind of glad. He'd had a pretty good time with Jackie today. She was funny, smart, and dare he say, nice? She had changed over the years, but there was still some of the old Jackie he knew and remembered.

They learned a bit about each other on the walk. She learned that Eric was actually almost married one time a couple of years ago and that his fiancé at the time was pregnant. But she had a miscarriage and the stress of that caused them to part ways. Eric told Jackie that he had the feeling the baby was going to be a girl and that he had named her Penny. Jackie thought that was sweet. He still carried the ultrasound picture in his wallet.

Eric learned that Jackie had been in several unhealthy relationships. She was once with a guy named Xavier who was clingy. Apparently he was always calling, wanting to go out all the time, he never gave her time to herself, so they broke up after dating for about six months or so. Another boyfriend of hers was abusive. He would get drunk and yell at her all the time, sometimes he pushed her or smacked her, but Jackie said she kept running back to him. They were together for a year and a half before Jackie finally realized he was never going to change and she left him.

Eric realized that everybody had their personal demons. Donna had the unfortunate death of her husband, Jackie had bad luck with relationships, and Eric had his illness.

It was just something they had to live with and that was reality. And reality sucks.

Sometimes, Eric wished he could go back to being a care free teenager, back to the times when nothing really mattered and he could just relax. Today his life consisted of riding a skateboard around the city, making sure Chris's mother was calm, making sure Chris was safe, and dealing with his illness. He had stressful days most of the time, so he was pretty used to it at this point.

By the time Eric and Jackie neared the apartment building, it was almost dark out. Eric wouldn't at all be surprised if Donna was mad at him for leaving her and Callie by themselves in a drug addict's home. Eric had to admit, it was kind of irresponsible of him, and he deserved what was coming.

But he still had fun with Jackie today.

The pair were still about three blocks away from Eric's apartment and the night time breeze had started to blow. It had become quite chilly as the sun went down. Good 'ol New York winters.

Jackie had become a little cold so she had grabbed onto Eric's arm and snuffled against it for warmth, which really didn't bother Eric much. He was seriously surprised at how much she's changed, and she was surprised all the same with him.

They had really talked about all they could talk about while out on their walk, so there wasn't really much left to talk about. But Jackie did have one question.

"Hey Eric?" She said quietly, not looking up at him as she spoke.

But he looked down at her, "Yeah?"

Jackie pondered for a minute, wondering if she should really ask him this. She decided he wouldn't mind it too much, Eric was always kind of care free, "Does it hurt?"

Eric gave the younger girl a quizzical look, "Does what hurt?"

"You know," Jackie said nervously as she walked next to him, "When you have a seizure?"

Eric looked up and shook his head, "Not normally. I guess it sort of depends on how bad it is."

"What happens with a bad one?" Jackie asked curiously.

"When I wake up I might have a migraine and I may be sore. But normally I just feel tired when it's over," Eric explained.

Jackie nodded as the two crossed the street, "When's the last time you had a seizure?"

Eric looked up at the sky for a moment, trying to think back, "I haven't had a grand mal in about three weeks… I had partial one about two days ago, so don't be alarmed if I have one later, I'm due for one."

Jackie nodded before asking, "Is it scary? Having a seizure?"

Eric shrugged lightly, "Sometimes… I'm usually fine with small ones, but sometimes, if they get too intense, they can be a bit scary."

"You told me earlier you usually don't remember anything about a seizure after having it," Jackie said.

"Yeah, but if it was a major one I might bite my tongue while having it and I'll wake up in a pool of blood," Eric said, "And sometimes you also have the thought lingering in the back of your mind that… If the seizures too intense, it could kill you."

Jackie's eyes widened at that, "Have… Have you ever had one that bad?"

Eric shook his head, "Neh… Not since the 80's, anyway."

Jackie was relieved to hear that. She let out a heavy breath and shivered noticeably, which caused Eric to look down at her curiously, "Are you that cold?"

Jackie shook her head, "No, I'm fine."

Eric rolled his eyes, seeing through the obvious lie. He tugged Jackie off his arm and unzipped his jacket before peeling it off and handing it to Jackie.

Jackie looked down at his green hoodie and then up at Eric, "No, I'm fine, Eric. Really, we're almost to your apartment."

Eric shook his head, "No, keep it. It's kind of cold in the apartment anyway."

Jackie looked down at the jacket again, her eyebrows furrowed, "Are you sure?"

Eric nodded, "I'm always sure."

Jackie shrugged and shimmied her arms through the jacket's sleeves and wrapped it around herself. It was much too big for her small frame, but it was warm and cozy.

Eventually, Eric and Jackie finally made it back to the apartment building. It had been a long day and surely both of them were ready for a good night's sleep. They headed up the stairs, Eric letting Jackie walk ahead of him, until they reached Eric's room.

"Well, thank you for showing me around the city today, Eric, I had a good time, actually," Jackie smiled up at her old friend.

Eric made a face, "You act like that's surprising."

Jackie giggled and smacked him on the arm as Eric pulled his keys out of his pocket and started to put the key in the lock, but his ears suddenly picked up the sound of yelling on the other side of the door. It was a male voice, screaming at somebody angrily. Eric listened for a moment until he heard glass break and a girl scream. Eric pushed the key into the lock and unlocked the door quickly before swinging the door open and rushing inside, Jackie right behind him.

Eric's eyes were met with Chris screaming and pointing an accusing finger at his mother, tears streaming down his face. Eric looked around the room for any sign of glass and he found it on the floor, a few feet behind Chris and lying on the ground in it, was Callie.

Donna was trying to help her daughter up, Callie's hands covered in blood. Eric gasped and threw his keys onto the table next to the door as he rushed into the room to stand between Chris and his mother.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Eric demanded as Donna pulled Callie to her feet.

Chris choked back a sob as he pointed a shaking finger at his mother, "She's been lying to me! All these years, she's been lying to me!"

Eric looked at Chris and furrowed his brow curiously, "What do you mean?"

Chris stormed over to the coffee table, grabbed a book off the top of it, walked back over to Eric and presented him the book, "I rented this from the library today!" Chris cried, showing Eric the cover. It was a book on different types of drugs, "I looked through this to see if I could find what kind of medication she was taking and the only one that had the side effects she was presenting and the only one that looked like her 'medication' was this!" Chris searched for the page in the chapter on addictive drugs and showed Eric a photo of heroin in a syringe.

Eric snatched the book out of Chris's hand and read through the passage quickly. It was pretty detailed and Eric could see how Chris could know this about his mother now. Eric looked up at Chris, then at his crying mother, who looked kind of sober at the moment, and then back at Chris. Eric softened his gaze and walked towards the boy as he threw the book aside onto the floor.

"Chris…" Eric said softly, not wanting to speak too loudly. Eric put a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Calm down. Breathe."

Chris slowly tried calming down as Eric kept his firm grip on the boy's shoulders. As Chris did his breathing exercise Eric looked over his shoulder at Callie and Donna, "Is she okay?" He asked calmly.

Donna nodded with a sympathetic look on her face as Callie chimed in, "It's not my blood," She said as she held her hands out, "I was just trying to clean up the glass, Chris is the one that got cut."

Eric then looked down at Chris and saw that his dominant hand was covered in blood, but there was so much of it Eric couldn't tell where the source of was from, but the cuff of Chris's shirt was soaked through, so it could be on his wrist.

"Okay," Eric said, turning Chris around towards the bathroom, "Come on, let's go get you cleaned up."

Eric directed a heavily breathing Chris to the bathroom as the rest of the group just stood in the living room in complete shock.

Donna looked down at Callie and then up at Chris's mother, who she just learned name was Barbara, "Um, do you have a towel, or…?"

Barbara shakily grabbed a dish towel off the counter and handed it to Donna without speaking a word. Donna tilted her head in appreciation and handed the towel to her daughter, "Thanks."

As Callie cleaned her hands of blood, Barbara shakily grabbed a pack of cigarettes and walked around the counter and grabbed her coat before stuffing the cigarettes into her coat pocket, "I'm going out for the night. Tell Eric I'll be back in the morning."

Donna raised an eyebrow, "What?"

Barbara lit her cigarette and took a puff before narrowing her eyes at Donna, "Tell Eric I'll be back in the morning."

"What? You can't just—" But before Donna could finish, Barbara walked out the door and slammed it shut behind her.

Donna glared at the door in utter confusion and shock. That woman's son had just called her out, tried throwing a glass vase at her, cut his hand up pretty badly, and she decides to just bail out and leave? For the night? Real mature with facing all your problems, lady.

Donna looked down daughter who had just finished cleaning off her hands, the dish towel soaked in blood, "Callie?"

The raven haired girl looked up at her mother, her eyes filled with concern, "Yes?"

"Why don't you go check on Chris? Make sure he's okay," Donna suggested, gently taking the dish towel out of the girl's hands.

Callie nodded in agreement and turned towards the hall, "Alright."

As Callie left, Steven, who had returned about an hour or so after Eric and Jackie went on their walk, turned towards Jackie and grabbed her shoulders, "Are you alright?" He asked in concern.

Jackie seemed confused by this as she furrowed her eyebrows, "Yeah… Why?"

Hyde now looked infuriated as he released Jackie, "Because you've been gone all day! We thought something happened to you!"

Jackie shook her head, "I'm fine, Steven."

"Where the hell have you been?" Donna but in as she took in Jackie's appearance, "And is that Eric's jacket?"

Jackie hugged herself at the mention of it and nodded, "Yes. I got cold, so he gave it to me. And besides, it's none of your guys' business where I've been. I'm a grown woman and I can handle myself."

Donna rolled her eyes, "We were just worried. We didn't even know you went with Eric."

Jackie glared at Donna, "Me and Eric left at the same time, put two and two together, Donna."

Jackie could tell by the way Donna looked at her that she was a little jealous of her. Jackie glared back at Donna and rolled her eyes, "It's been a long day, I'm going to go lay down."

"You do that," Donna snapped as Jackie turned to go down the hallway.

As Jackie disappeared down the hallway, Donna looked down at the dirty towel in her hand. Figuring there was no possible way to get the stains out, Donna went into the kitchen and tossed it in the trash bin before slumping over the counter and putting her face in her hands.

What a long damn day.

March 7, 2001

Donna woke up after her daughter did the next morning. Since Callie was using the shower, Donna decided to go into the kitchen and look for something to eat. She had barely eaten anything in the last couple of days, so she prayed that the psycho living here at least bought cereal and milk for breakfast.

As Donna entered the living room she spotted Chris sitting at the kitchen counter, writing or drawing on a piece of paper.

Donna hobbled tiredly past him into the kitchen, "Good morning, Chris."

The boy tensed up as Donna walked towards the fridge, not saying a word. Donna looked over her shoulder at the boy and noticed he was no longer looking at the paper, but he wasn't looking at her either. He was just sort of looked at the countertop, almost nervously. _He's a weird kid._ Donna thought. She just shrugged and pulled a carton of milk out of the fridge before going to the cabinets and searching for a cup.

"How'd you sleep last night?" Donna asked, at least trying to make conversation.

"Not well," Chris finally spoke, tapping his pencil on the countertop.

Donna raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder at him as she pulled a cup out of the cabinet above the microwave, "Why not?"

Chris shrugged, "I never sleep well. Eric call's it insomnia."

Donna nodded, "Is it insomnia?"

Chris shook his head, "No. I have nightmares a lot, they usually keep me awake."

Donna nodded in acknowledgement, "What are these nightmares about, usually? If I'm not getting too personal."

"Usually they're about my mother," Chris said, "But sometimes they're about Eric… And sometimes my father."

Donna poured some cereal into a bowl as she asked, "Where is your Dad? Does he live in town?"

Chris shrugged, "Maybe. I don't know him."

Donna stopped what she was doing at that. She put the milk carton down and turned around to face Chris, "You don't know your Dad?"

Chris shook his head, "No. My Mom says he was an asshole and he hit her, but I know that's not true."

Donna gave him a curious look, "What do you mean?"

"He was a one night stand," Chris said, starting to draw again.

"Did somebody tell you that, or…" Donna didn't really know what to say now.

But Chris shook his head and continued, "I heard Mom and Eric arguing one night and it came up," Chris paused for a moment before continuing, "My Mom's really honest with me most of the time though."

Donna stepped towards him, "Like with what?"

Chris kept on drawing as he continued, "She said when she found out she was pregnant with me she was scared. She said she didn't think she could handle taking care of a baby by herself, so she tried to abort me herself with clothes hanger."

Donna put a hand over her mouth at that as Chris continued, "She says she thinks she messed up while she was doing it and that's why I'm weird."

"Your Mom thinks your weird?" Donna asked and Chris nodded.

"Yeah, she says it's why I can't make friends," Chris said honestly. He didn't really seem to be fazed by any of this. He then changed the subject back to his father, "Sometimes I wonder what my Dad's like."

Donna tried coming back from hearing about Chris's mother's past actions. Donna couldn't understand how you could get pregnant and then want to get an abortion. But Donna did have room to talk since she thought she was pregnant at one time and she had never been more scared in all her life.

"Maybe he's a firefighter, or an artist, or something cool like that," Chris said, snapping Donna out of her thoughts, "My Mom told me he was from Japan and that I kind of look like him."

Donna looked at the teenager. Donna did take notice that he didn't look like his mother that much at all, except he did have her nose.

"I've tried asking her more about him, but she said she didn't even know his last name," Chris said, "His first name is George though."

"Have you ever thought about trying to find him?" Donna asked, leaning over the counter to get a better look at the teenager.

"Yeah… But my Mom won't let me take a DNA test to try and found out who he is and I can't take one myself until I'm eighteen. If I just looked for every single George in New York, I'd be searching forever," Chris said, still not looking up.

Donna nodded as she listened to him and then caught sight of the blankets on the couch, "Did you sleep out here last night?"

"Yes," He replied, grabbing a colored pencil and filling in his drawing with red, "I cried for a while, but Callie talked to me. I felt better after that."

Donna furrowed her brow at the mention of her daughter, "Did… Did she go back to sleep with me afterwards?" Donna was just curious. She was a heavy sleeper, so she wouldn't have noticed.

Chris shook his head and grimaced noticeably, "No, she slept on the couch with me."

"Really?" Donna said, but more to herself than to Chris.

Just then, Jackie came walking into the kitchen, yawning loudly and stretching, "Good morning, Donna… Morning Chris."

Jackie ruffled Chris's hair as she passed, obviously annoying Chris with this action.

"Did Callie finally calm you down last night?" Jackie asked as she opened the fridge and looked for the orange juice.

Donna gave Jackie a look before looking back to Chris. The boy's face was a little pink as she stood abruptly. He started to become uncomfortable so he just grabbed his pencils and paper before turning to leave, "I'm going to finish this in my room now."

Chris then quickly left the room as Jackie closed the fridge and giggled. Donna on the other hand, was not amused.

"Jackie," She spoke, putting a hand on her hip, "What was all that about?"

Jackie gave Donna a look, "What was all what about?"

Donna narrowed her eyes at her friend, "Come on now, Jackie. You saw how flustered he got."

Jackie rolled her eyes and poured herself a glass of juice, "Come on, Donna, it's so obvious," Jackie said as she put the orange juice back in the fridge, "I think Chris has a crush on Callie… And I think Callie has a crush on Chris."

Donna widened her eyes, "But… But she's only thirteen! She shouldn't be thinking about boys yet!"

Jackie took a gulp of orange juice before looking at Donna, shifting her weight onto one foot, "When I was thirteen I was thinking about boys. And I'm sure you were too."

"But—But he's two years older than she is! That's kind of weird, right?" Donna asked.

Jackie rolled her eyes as she swished her drink around in its glass, "It's not like he's twenty-five. He's fifteen, and besides, Callie's really mature for her age. She can handle herself."

Donna shook her head and put a hand across her forehead, "This can't be happening… I'm not ready for all the hormones just yet."

Jackie scoffed, "Well you better get prepared."

Donna sighed as footsteps sounded behind her. Jackie looked up as Eric walked into the room, wearing sweatpants and a blue bathrobe, his bare feet smacking against the floor.

"'Morning girls," He greeted as he stretched in front of the couch before he slumped back onto it and grabbed the TV remote.

Jackie raised an eyebrow, "TV as soon as you wake up? No breakfast?"

Eric rolled his eyes, "Sorry 'Mom.'"

Jackie gasped, "Shut up!" She giggled.

Eric smiled and flipped the television on before he relaxed back into the couch cushions. Jackie turned back to Donna and said, "What do you think about Callie and Chris?"

Donna glared at her shorter friend, "Jackie."

"I think they'd make a cute couple," Jackie smiled.

"Shut up," Donna snapped.

"I mean, Chris is kind of cute," Jackie smiled, "He's real nice and polite, he's open and honest. I think he'd make a great boyfriend for Callie."

"Jackie would you please—" Donna was suddenly cut off by Eric suddenly humming quite loudly.

Both Jackie and Donna looked back to see what Eric was doing and saw that he was rocking back and forth a little bit and he had his right hand gripping his left arm, his fingers pulling at the sleeve of his robe.

Jackie gazed at Eric in confusion, "Eric, are you okay?"

He didn't answer, he just kept rocking and tugging on his sleeve. It took Jackie a moment to gather her thoughts, but she soon realized this may be a seizure of some kind.

Jackie put her glass down and looked at Donna briefly before dashing around her to go to the couch where Eric was sitting, "Donna, I think he's having a seizure."

Donna's eyes widened as she quickly followed Jackie to the couch. Jackie sat next to Eric on the couch as Donna stood behind her. Donna hugged herself as Eric's rocked and hummed loudly, not really sure what to do.

"Um…" Jackie was just as shocked and confused, "What should I do? Chris!"

It was the only thing Jackie could think of, he should know what to do. It was only seconds later that Chris was in the living room, "Yes?"

"Um, what do we do?" Jackie asked as she grabbed Eric's arm.

Chris looked down at Eric and walked over into front of him. He noticed Jackie's hand on Eric's arm and swatted his hand at her, "Try not to touch him, it might scare him."

Jackie let go of Eric, following Chris's instructions, "How long do these usually last?"

Chris tilted his head to the side and thought for a moment, "About a minute or so. But after this is over he might not understand what's going on."

So the three sat there and waited for Eric to finish his seizure. It was weird seeing this happen. Whatever you said to him he didn't register, it was like he had blacked out or something, but he was still awake. It scared the girls a little bit, they've never seen anything like this before. After about a minute and a half, Eric stopped rocking and he slowly let go of his arm.

Chris kneeled down in front of him and waited for Eric to focus on him before he spoke, "Eric, can you hear me?"

Eric stayed silent, but he kept his eyes glued to Chris's as Jackie and Donna watched. Chris put his hand up, "Grab my hand if you can hear me," Eric's eyes flicked to Chris's hand and he slowly lifted his hand and grabbed Chris's fingers. Chris nodded, "Good. Can you tell me your name?"

Eric nodded.

"What is it?" Chris asked patiently.

"Eric," He responded, looking around the room as he released Chris's hand.

"What year is it?" Chris asked, never taking his eyes off of Eric.

"2001," Eric replied, looking up at the ceiling.

"What's two times two?" Chris asked.

"Four."

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Chris held up his hand and made Eric look at him.

Eric examined his hand for a minute before answering with, "Three."

Chris smiled softly and nodded, "Good," Chris stood and faced the two girls, averting eye contact, "He should be fine now, but it'll take him a few minutes to fully come back to reality."

Jackie and Donna both nodded before Chris went back to his room. Jackie looked over at Donna and then down at Eric before speaking, "Eric?"

He looked up at Jackie and didn't say a word as she continued, "Are you alright?"

Eric looked away, "Yeah."

It was weird having him answer short answers like this when they were so used to him just rambling on. Eric looked back to the TV and focused his eyes on the two news anchors talking about a shooting downtown.

Jackie turned to look at Donna, a grimace on her face. That was kind of scary for them both, and they haven't even seen a full blown seizure yet, either.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N – This chapter's a little shorter than the last few, hopefully the next one will be better. Hope you enjoy. Thanks to Marla's Lost for the review. Ambient Space Noise – Love your username, by the way. Carbamazepine did exist back in 2001, but as I'm sure you know, different medications work differently for different people. I have done my research on epilepsy though, and many people with severe epilepsy who are well medicated say they have about as many seizures as Eric does. Thanks for the nice reviews, I love reading them.

Disclaimer – I don't own it.

March 9, 2001

Eric was getting the silent treatment from both Donna and Hyde. He had guessed Donna was mad at him for speaking the truth the other day and Hyde was still pissed from the few days before. Hyde hasn't spoken a word to him in almost two days and Donna only spoke to him when she had to. The only one who wasn't mad at him was Jackie, which he was still a little confused about, but it was good having a friend to talk to.

Currently the apartment was occupied by the men… And Callie. Chris was in his room doing something as Callie pestered him as Hyde sat in the kitchen drinking a beer and Eric sat on the couch, watching TV. It was awkwardly silent as the TV volume was low and Eric didn't really care for what was on the screen.

Hyde was staring at Eric as he watched the TV. Hyde was still mad at him, but he knew ignoring Eric wouldn't solve their problems. He had to try and make amends, knowing it would pain him to do so. Hyde figured he'd wait until he finished his beer, it would give him a little time to think about what he was going to say.

He could start with how Eric was a dumbass for leaving, but he did have valid reasons. Hyde had to admit, he did. If Eric came home, Donna would most likely have guilted him into going back to her. Another thing was his father. Red would have been disappointed, but Hyde knew Red would have been more worried. Eric had this understanding of Red though. He thought Red was always mad at him and was always pushing him to do things he didn't necessarily want to do. But deep down. Deep, DEEP down, Red wanted what was best for his son and he wanted him to be happy.

Hyde had to talk to Eric sooner than he had hoped for though, because as he was in his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed Eric walk into the kitchen.

"Hyde," Eric said from behind him.

Hyde turned around and looked at his old friend. He had an empty glass in one hand and a small canister of medication in his other hand.

"I need to use the sink," Eric said awkwardly, feeling the obvious tension in the room.

Hyde nodded and moved out of the way, letting Eric get to the sink. Hyde stood there and waited as Eric filled his glass with a little bit of water and opened his medication canister. He took two out, put the canister on the counter and swallowed both the pills before setting the glass in the sink and walking back into the living room.

Hyde watched him go and figured it was time to talk. Hyde took one more swig of his beer before setting it on the counter and walking over to the couch, where Eric had resumed sitting.

Hyde stood over his old friend for a minute before he finally decided to speak, "Listen Forman…" Eric looked up at his old friend tiredly as he continued, "I'm still mad at you, don't think I'm not, but… I can't deal with all this… Tension anymore. It's fine at first, but after a while it just gets nerve racking. So, I just wanted to let you know that I'm still mad at you, but we're also cool."

Eric gazed up at Hyde for a moment before he let a small smirk play across his lips. That was such a Steven Hyde apology.

Eric nodded and stood, facing Hyde, "I'm sorry, Hyde. I know I can't take back what I did, but… I do regret my life choices sometimes, and I wish I had come home every once in a while to visit everybody."

Hyde nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "It's cool, man. I mean… I'm not gonna lie. You've got a pretty nice life up here, you know, besides your seizure bull crap."

Eric laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I guess…"

"Yeah, I mean," Hyde threw his hand out to the side, "You got a decent little home here, you said you take pictures, I've always kind of pictured you as the artsy type… And, you got a kid. Sort of."

Eric smiled and nodded, "Yeah, now only if I could do something about his mother."

Hyde put a hand on Eric's shoulder, "I'd say you're doing just fine, Forman."

Eric looked down at his feet briefly, his smile never fading, "Thanks Hyde," He said, looking up at his friend, "So… We're good?"

Hyde pursed his lips and pondered for a moment, "Not yet."

Eric raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"There's something I got to do first," Hyde said, Eric's confused look still present. Hyde then grabbed Eric's arm, twisted him around and put the younger man in a headlock, laughing as he did so, "There. Now we're good."

Eric didn't even try to escape, he just sat there and waited for Hyde to let him go. As Hyde did just that, Jackie and Donna came bursting through the door, grocery bags in their arms.

Jackie smiled as she caught Eric last minute in a headlock in Steven's arm, "Awe… Did you two make up?"

Hyde smiled as Eric brushed himself off, "Yes ma'am," Hyde smiled in a mock country accent.

Jackie smiled back and set the groceries on the counter, "Good. Now we can live peacefully."

Eric scratched the back of his head as he stepped towards the kitchen where Jackie and Donna were, "Um, what's all this?"

Jackie looked up at Eric with a quizzical look on her face, "I noticed your cabinets were a little empty, so me and Donna decided to go shopping for you. I was starting to wonder why you guys were all so skinny."

Eric rolled his eyes and stepped closer to her, "You guys didn't have to buy me groceries."

Jackie shrugged, "Too late."

Eric sighed and shook his head, deciding arguing with Jackie wasn't a good idea, as she had all the answers and comebacks.

Chris and Callie soon made their appearance in the kitchen, Callie leading them, "Hey Mom," She said with a smile on her face.

"Hi sweetie," Donna smiled, planting a kiss on the top of Callie's head, "What have you been up to?"

"Eh, you know the usual. Talking, pestering, watching TV, kissing," Callie said sarcastically.

Donna's eyes widened as Chris cried, "That's not true!"

Callie rolled her eyes, "I'm kidding! Geez, lighten up."

Donna released a sigh of relief as Chris's face glowed a bright red. Jackie giggled as Callie scavenged through the grocery bags, completely moved on from what she had just said.

"I really wish you would stop saying stuff like that," Chris whispered to Callie as he helped her unload bags.

Callie gave him a look, "Quit being a baby," She said, ruffling his hair.

Jackie and Eric both laughed at the interaction and started to help put away the groceries.

Later that night, after Chris and Callie had both gone to bed and Chris's mother was out, again, Hyde decided to go out to drink. He said he'd get a cab back and that he should be back before midnight. Now it was just Eric, Donna and Jackie.

Donna was in the kitchen, reading a magazine she had picked up at the store while Jackie drank a glass of water. Eric had just finished eating dinner and was now washing dishes.

Jackie set her water on the counter and leaned over it as she looked over at Eric and Donna, "So… Callie and Chris, huh?"

Eric smirked as he scrubbed at a dirty plate and Donna sighed, "Can we not talk about this right now, please?"

Jackie gave Donna an odd look, "Why not? You don't like that your daughter has a boyfriend?"

Donna glared at Jackie, "She doesn't have a boyfriend. Her and Chris are just friends."

Jackie nodded, "Yeah, friends that make googly eyes at each other."

"Shup up," Donna snapped, flipping the page in her magazine.

Jackie gave her friend an odd look, but didn't say anything more. It was like Donna was rejecting the idea of Callie having a boyfriend. Why didn't she want that? I mean, yeah, it was a little stressful to have to deal with teenage hormones, but Chris was a nice kid.

"I'm just happy Chris has made a friend," Eric said, "He doesn't have many of those at school."

Jackie looked over at Eric, one eyebrow raised, "Really?"

Eric nodded, "He never brings anyone over or talks about his friends. I don't even know if he has any. He gets bullied a lot at school."

Jackie's face went from curious to sad, "Really? Why?"

Eric shrugged as he put the now clean plate into the drainer, "He's not popular. He doesn't play sports, he doesn't keep up with the latest trends, he doesn't really know how to talk to people… He's just a little different, I guess."

"Well, I think he's wonderful," Jackie said, raising her glass, "He should make lots of friends when he gets out of high school, all those kids are just fakes anyways."

Eric smiled and nodded, "You wouldn't have said that in high school."

Jackie smacked him on the arm, "Shut up."

Eric chuckled and continued washing dishes as the room fell silent. The only sound was running water and Donna flipping the pages of her magazine. Jackie slowly finished her water and handed it to Eric, who gladly started washing it only for a moment a later, to drop it into the sink.

The noise sparked both Donna and Jackie's attention. Eric's hands were shaking as he swallowed thickly, which caused alarm in both women.

"Eric, are you alright?" Donna asked as she set her magazine down.

Eric nodded, "Yeah… I just—I just feel a little weird. I think—I think I'm going to—" He was cut off by a choking type noise as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He fell forward, but luckily Jackie caught him as he started convulsing violently.

"Oh God!" Jackie cried, slowly bring Eric to the ground and lying him on his back, "Um… Donna! Get me a pillow or something so he doesn't bang his head on the floor!"

Donna quickly darted out of the room in search for a pillow as Jackie rested Eric's head in her lap. Chris has told her not to touch Eric when he was having a seizure, but she couldn't let him hit his head either.

Eric's arm was pressed against his chest, as if it were forced to be there as his legs kicked rapidly. Eric whimpered loudly as he convulsed, Jackie trying to sooth him but running her fingers through his hair, "Shh… It's okay. It's okay…"

Jackie's voice broke at the last couple of words. She felt a few tears fall from her eyes. Watching this was terrifying. Jackie looked over her shoulder, "God damn it, Donna! Where are you?!"

Donna came rushing into the kitchen as soon as she said that, a red throw pillow in her hand, "Sorry! Sorry. Here."

Jackie grabbed the pillow and slowly moved out from underneath Eric and put the pillow in her place. Donna and Jackie sat there with Eric as he went through his seizure and it ended after about a minute and a half or so. He was breathing heavily and wheezing, as if he couldn't catch his breath. Jackie noticed his hand clenching and unclenching, as if he wanted something to comfort him.

Jackie grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly, "It's okay, I'm here. Me and Donna are here."

Eric's chest was heaving as Jackie used her other hand to rub his arm in reassurance. Eric slowly calmed his breathing and his chest stopped rising and falling at a rapid pace. After he was back to normal, but still unconscious, Jackie looked up at Donna.

"Come on, help me get him to the couch to lay down," Jackie ordered.

Donna nodded and grabbed one of Eric's arms, Jackie grabbing the other before they hoisted him to his feet. They carried his limp form into the living room and gently laid him on the couch, resting his head on the pillow and lifted his legs up onto the couch behind him.

Donna and Jackie then gazed down at Eric and gathered themselves. That was scary. Jackie thought the partial seizure was scary, but this was a lot worse.

"You think he'll be alright?" Donna asked, her hands on her hips.

Jackie nodded, "Yeah. He told me it might take a while for him to wake up, so…"

"How long?" Donna asked.

Jackie shrugged, "Ten, fifteen minutes? I don't know, he wasn't exact."

After a few more minutes of keeping an eye on Eric, Donna turned to Jackie, "I think I'm going to go lay down. It's exhausting just watching him do that."

Jackie nodded in agreement, "Alright. Good night."

"'Night," Donna huffed before walking down the hall to the guest bedroom.

After Donna disappeared behind the door, Jackie looked down at Eric. He was breathing softly now, his chest rising and falling slowly. Jackie smiled down at him sadly. Why did such a good guy have to have such a terrible disease? Jackie never understood that. It seemed like all the good people had all the issues in life and all the assholes had all the fame and fortune. It made Jackie sick.

As Jackie watched him sleep she yawned, feeling tired now herself. She could go lay in bed with Callie and Donna in that uncomfortable squeaky mattress, or…

Jackie shrugged. Why the hell not? She grabbed Eric's arms and gently pulled him into a sitting position, "Come on Eric, up we go."

After Jackie got Eric situated, she sat down next to him, but before she could help him lay back down on the opposite side of the couch, Eric slumped into her. She fell onto her back, her head hitting the pillow Eric had been using as Eric's body fell between her legs and his head landed on her shoulder, his soft breathing tickling her ear.

Jackie was tempted to get up and lay him on the other side of the couch, but she was actually kind of comfortable like this. Eric's body was warm and cozy, and he smelled good. Wait. What was she saying? Jackie couldn't be having these thoughts about Eric. Not with the tensions running high between him and Donna. This would just make matters worse. But on the other hand, Eric did look rather cute sleeping. Jackie smiled down at him as he snored softly as he moved a little, snuggling closer to Jackie.

Jackie felt her heart flutter at this small movement. What the hell, one night on the couch with Eric couldn't hurt. Could it?


	8. Chapter 8

A/N – Sorry it's been a couple of days since I've posted a new chapter, I got a hint of writer's block. This is more of a filler than a full on chapter, so stick with me here, it'll get interesting soon, I promise. This chapter is basically Eric telling Jackie about his past and what he did in New York when he first got there. Enjoy!

Disclaimer – You know it.

March 10, 2001

Eric cracked his eyes open the next morning once he felt the heat from the sun peering through the blinds. His eyes caught sight of the coffee table in the middle of the living room, but he couldn't remember laying on the couch last night to sleep. Did somebody put him here? Eric knew if he didn't remember anything after he woke up he must've had a seizure. Eric furrowed his eyebrows when he realized he was laying on something soft, and he knew the couch wasn't soft. Eric looked up to see what it was and was shocked to find out it was a sleeping Jackie Burkhart. He felt his face heat up when he realized his head was lying on her chest.

Eric gulped nervously as he looked around the room and he blushed harder when realized he was also laying between her legs. One of her legs was wrapped around the back of his and her arms were thrown over his shoulders, her hands gripping the back of his shirt softly.

Eric needed to get up before Jackie did, or this would get a whole lot more awkward than it already was. Especially if Donna or Hyde walked in right now.

Eric slowly started with removing Jackie's hands from his back. When that proved to be a success Eric was able to move her leg from around him and sit up fully without waking her. As he sat down and she moved onto her side and curled into the fetal position, and Eric watched her.

Eric had only admitted once that she was hot, but now that he was an adult and more mature, he knew she was beautiful.

Her brown hair was fanned across the red throw pillow perfectly, he tiny hands pushed underneath her head as her legs curled underneath her. She was mumbling incoherently in her sleep and she smiled a little bit. Eric wished he could see what she was dreaming about.

Eric smiled as she giggled softly in her sleep before he was suddenly met with a thump on the side of his head.

"Good morning, lover boy," Callie said as she walked past him into the kitchen.

Eric furrowed his eyebrows as he looked over at Callie who was now opening the fridge and pulling out the milk, "What?" Eric asked as she opened the milk and sniffed it, making sure it wasn't the old milk.

Callie crinkled at the milk, realizing it was old before she answered Eric's question, "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. I saw you two all cuddled up on the couch last night."

Eric blushed a little and looked down at his hands, "It's not… We're just… I don't even know how I got there."

Callie rolled her eyes and smiled deviously, "Sure… And you don't how you've been spending so much time with her lately either, do you?"

Eric blushed a little harder and cleared his throat, "It's nothing…"

Callie nodded and raised her eyebrows, "Sure."

Eric stood suddenly and smoothed the wrinkles in his shirt before he turning to look at Callie, "Kind of like you and Chris hang out all the time?"

It was now Callie's turn to blush, "Yeah, so?"

Eric smiled and crossed his arms, "I see the way you guys are around each other. Don't try and hide it."

Callie glared at Eric, "You don't know anything. Chris is just my friend."

"Really?" Eric smiled as he stepped over to the counter, his arms still crossed, "Then why are you blushing so hard?"

That made Callie blush harder, "Shut up."

She then slammed the fridge door and stormed off, a little embarrassed, but she knew Eric was right. She did sort of like Chris in that way, but her Mom didn't let her 'be with' boys yet, she said she was too young, so there was no use in trying.

Eric smiled as he went around the counter and into the kitchen to find something for breakfast. Eric pulled out a bowl and set in on the counter before he started his search for cereal. He wasn't really in the mood for Lucky Charms or Frosted Mini Wheats… Ah-ha! Captain Crunch, his favorite.

He ported the cereal into the bowl before he went to the fridge and looked for the new good milk. After a moment of scavenging he found it behind the eggs.

As he poured the milk into the bowl, he heard a groggy voice speak from behind him, "Good morning," The voice yawned.

Eric turned around and smiled when he saw Jackie stumbling into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"Good morning," Eric smiled as he put the cap back on the milk, "How'd you sleep?"

Jackie shrugged, "Pretty good actually."

Eric smiled at that as she continued, "How're you feeling this morning?"

Eric shrugged, "Good, I guess. I'm guessing I had a seizure last night?"

Jackie nodded, "Yeah, you nearly broke a glass."

Eric winced, "Was it bad?"

Jackie shrugged, "What would bad look like?"

"If it lasted longer than a couple of minutes, I bit my tongue, and/or I lost control of my bladder," Eric said, taking a bite of his cereal.

Jackie shook her head, "None of the above."

Eric nodded, "Then I'd say that was an average seizure," He said with a mouthful of food as he flashed a smile her way, making her giggle, "By the way, you're a pretty comfortable pillow."

Jackie blushed and looked down at her feet, "Thanks?"

Eric chuckled, "You're welcome."

Jackie pulled out a stool and sat down on it, fiddling with her fingers, "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, me and Donna are going to go look for some apartments today."

Eric furrowed his brow, "Leaving so soon? I thought you guys liked living in this charming environment."

Jackie rolled her eyes, "We just feel like we're intruding. So after Hyde leaves we're going to go out. You don't mind keeping an eye on Callie do you?"

Eric shook his head, "No, I can watch her for a couple of hours. Besides, I'm sure she'd love to spend some more time with Chris."

Jackie smiled, "They do get along quite well don't they?"

Eric nodded, "Yeah, I made Callie blush earlier because of it."

Jackie giggled, "Remember Chris's face yesterday?"

Eric nodded, raising his eyebrows, "Yeah, I've never seen him like that before."

Jackie giggled and looked down at her hands again, the room falling silent. After a moment in silence, Jackie looked up to Eric. He was quietly eating his breakfast, his gaze cast downwards. Jackie took this time to really take him in.

He was wearing a green shirt that was a size too large, or maybe it was his size, he was always so skinny, nothing ever fit him properly. He looked like the same old Eric, but at the same time, he didn't. He had that aged look in his eye, but he still looked youthful all the same.

It was then that Jackie noticed something on his arm that was hiding underneath his sleeve. It was dark, but she couldn't tell what it was.

"What's that on your arm there?" Jackie suddenly asked, pointing to his right arm.

Eric looked up and looked at where she was pointing. He smiled as he swallowed his food and set the near empty bowl on the counter as he lifted his sleeve, revealing a tattoo. It was just a black band that wrapped all the way around his bicep, "I got this when I was getting treatment for my epilepsy. My friend Max has the same one. He got it when I did, like a signal of support for what I was going through."

Jackie smiled, "That's sweet."

Eric smiled as he dropped his sleeve, "Max was the first person I lived with. It was him and a few other people. I lived with them between 81 and 92…" Eric's face suddenly changed, as if he were sad now, "I haven't seen him since then…"

Jackie furrowed her eyebrows, "Why not?"

Eric adjusted his shoulders and sighed, "Well, before I started taking pictures of people around New York, I took pictures of people around the world. I gave that all up to come live with Chris and his mother, and Max thought I was throwing my life away for two people that I barely even knew, so he got mad and he stopped talking to me and I haven't heard from him since then."

Jackie pursed her lips in confusion, "That's kind of weird."

Eric shrugged and looked down at his feet, "Well, in a way, I kind of gave up Max too."

Jackie sat up straighter and leaned forward a tad on the counter, "What do you mean?"

Eric grabbed his cereal bowl and stepped across the kitchen to the sink, pouring the remnants of his cereal into the garbage disposal and set the bowl in the sink before looking up at Jackie, "Max did get that tattoo for me. He actually got it before I did and I decided to get one after that, to show support for him… Max had cerebral palsy and could barely walk, and I used to be one of the only people who viewed him as a real person and not just a disability, and he did the same for me… We were best friends, so I guess when I left he was upset… I guess he thought I was abandoning him…"

Jackie furrowed her eyebrows as Eric continued, "Sometimes I wish I had never left."

"Why did you?" Jackie asked in general curiosity.

Eric shrugged, "When I met Chris's mother, she was getting beat up by a boyfriend on the street outside a bar. I helped her out and drove her home and that's where I met Chris," Eric smiled at the memory of seeing Chris for the first time, "He was about six years old, still about as shy as he is now. But he liked me and that surprised his mother. She told me Chris never liked a lot of the boyfriends and hopefuls she brought home and she had to break up with them. She always wanted to make Chris happy, and I made Chris happy so after a couple of visits with them, Barbara asked me out."

"Wait. You and Barbara went out?" Jackie asked, in complete shock.

Eric nodded, "Yeah. We went on about three or four dates when we realized it wasn't going to work, but she still wanted to be friends and she asked if I wanted to move in with them. I was hesitant at first, thinking I couldn't just up and leave my other friends, but on the other hand, Barbara was short on money, child protective services were threatening to take Chris away because of that, Barbara had a terrible job, and I figured I made decent money with taking pictures, so after thinking it over I decided to move in. And now here I am."

Jackie nodded, "That's very sweet of you. I think you did the right thing."

Eric nodded, "Yeah, I just wish Max and I were still buddies."

Jackie noticed Eric's sad expression, so she tried to cheer him up, "Well, while we're on the subject, why don't you tell me about your life when you first got here."

Eric smiled before spewing into a long and winding story about his crazy adventures as a 21 year old in NYC.

About two hours later, Eric and Jackie were sitting on the floor in front of the couch, hunched over the coffee table looking at pictures Eric had just brought out.

Eric had told Jackie about everything from when he first moved in. He told her about all his antics as a young man in the city with an odd group of friends. He told her about the time he spent the night in jail for breaking into a car, but luckily his friends bailed him out. He also told her his reaction to the news of John Lennon's assassination in 1980, right after he moved to New York. He apparently used to do a lot of acid, but stopped after he was diagnosed with epilepsy. He told her about the time one of his friends got mugged and had his wallet stolen. He told her other things too, like, how he got into a fight with one of his best friends one drunken night and how they both woke up the next morning beaten and sore, and about the time he went to a hippie Central Park sit in just for fun, and about the other time when he was beaten up by a violent protester.

And finally about the time he and his friends went to a massive music festival sort of like Woodstock and apparently he met a lot of cool people there.

"Okay, so this is Sadie," Eric pointed to a picture of a tall good looking woman standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a glass in her hand, "She wasn't afraid of anything. She told it like it was. She was a groupie. She used to travel with some pretty cool bands, like Pink Floyd and Queen."

Jackie smiled as she watched Eric get excited talking about all his old friends. He pointed to the picture of a dark skinned man playing a guitar in a red leather chair, "This is Joe. He used to write a lot. He was always talking about how he was going to publish his stories someday…"

Jackie looked at the picture as Eric searched for another one, "This here is Sadie and Joe's son Bobby. He was five last I saw him. His Dad used to teach him how to play guitar and they used to play soccer at the park all the time…" Eric handed that picture to Jackie before grabbing another picture of a shorter man with dark hair and charming brown eyes, but he was wearing make-up and a dress, "This is Glenn, he's Sadie's brother. He started going by the name Wendy in 1985… She was a catch."

Jackie smiled at how Eric went from calling Wendy a he to a she as Eric grabbed another photograph, "This is Dyke," Eric showed Jackie a picture of a young man in nurse's uniform, "He always wanted to save people and he had been attending med school for about six years before I left. He should of gotten his degree in 94 or 95. Maybe he's a pediatrician like he always wanted to be now?"

Jackie looked at the photo of the young man. He was pale with dark hair and pretty brown eyes, he also had a charming smile.

"And last but not least, Max," Eric showed Jackie a picture of his former best friend. He was a handsome young man. He had shoulder length brown hair and big sad brown doe eyes. In the photo he was standing next to Eric. He was a couple of inches shorter than Eric if he stood straight, but because he was leaning on crutches in the photo, he was a good four to five inches shorter than Eric, "Max was a good man. He worked with computers for a while, but eventually he decided to become a professor at NYU. He teaches Chemistry there now, or at least he did…" Eric looked all the pictures laid out in front of him, "I wonder what they're all up to these days?"

Jackie looked over at Eric's sad expression before speaking, "Have you ever tried locating them?"

Eric looked over at Jackie briefly and nodded as he looked back down at the picture of him and Max, "Yeah, once. Back in 1995 I called Sadie up to see what everyone was up to, I wanted to know if I could come and see them. She told me it wasn't the right time to come visit, apparently things weren't going well between everyone."

Jackie leaned forward and rested her chin in her palm, gazing at Eric intently, "What happened?"

Eric's eyes suddenly looked glassy, as if he were about to cry, "Sadie told me over the phone that Joe was had died a few months after I had left… He got shot by a police officer after a struggle. She told me her son had to go through life without having a father now, he hadn't even started school when it had happened… She also told me that Wendy had moved in with her boyfriend and they didn't speak much anymore since Sadie didn't like Wendy's boyfriend. Apparently he was a dick. She told me Dyke was always stressed with his work and his new girlfriend and that they were expecting a baby soon, and Max… She said Max was depressed and had threatened suicide several times," Eric's voice cracked at that, "I really hope he never went through with it."

Jackie gently put a hand on Eric's arm, not really knowing what to say, "Well… When's the last time you tried looking for them?"

Eric sniffled and shrugged, "A few years ago. But they never picked up a phone, knowing it was probably me."

"Well… You have stopped trying to call these last few years. Maybe you should try calling them again?" Jacki suggested, rubbing Eric's shoulder soothingly.

Eric shrugged, "They probably don't even live together anymore, or even keep in touch. They might of even moved to a different place."

Jackie shrugged, "It doesn't hurt to try."

Eric looked up at Jackie and smiled. What the hell. She was right.

Eric looked down at the coffee table and smiled, "Bring me the phone."

Jackie squealed in excitement and rushed over to the cell phone lying on the counter charging before bringing it back over to Eric.

Eric sighed shakily, a little nervous as to what he would say if anybody picked up, which he wasn't really expecting. Eric slowly dialed the number from memory, since he had dialed it so many times. It started to ring and Eric brought the phone up to his ear, waiting for someone to pick up the home phone.

The other line clicked and there was a scratchy male voice that answered, "Hello?"

Eric sighed, "Hello, this is Eric Forman. Is there a Sadie Harris there?"

It was quiet on the other line for a moment before the man said, "Yeah, hang on a minute," He took the phone away from his ear before Eric heard him shout, "Sadie! There's someone on the phone for you!"

Eric waited patiently as he turned to Jackie. He pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment to tell her, "I think she still lives there."

Jackie smiled giddily as Eric put the phone back to his ear before he heard the familiar voice of Sadie Harris on the other end, her voice sounding just as laid back as it always had, "This is Sadie."

Eric swallowed hard before he nervously spoke, "Hi Sadie, its Eric Forman."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N – There is a reason this chapter is so late. There's actually two. First of all, my dog has been sick this week and we've been taking her to the vet. We took her twice, because the first time she had a bad reaction to her medication and we had to get some different kind. She's doing better now, thankfully. She's back to her good 'ol annoying, hyper self. Two, I almost had this chapter posted a couple of days ago, but my computer crashed and it half of it was deleted. It was alright, because I wrote it again and then my computer decided it'd be funny to crash again and then a good portion of this chapter was deleted once more. I finally have it written and here it is for you. Sorry it's been a few days.

One more thing, when I finish this story, I'm going to be writing a different one. It'll be around this timeline probably but it's going to be about the adventures of the groups children. Maybe it'll be a bit more humorous than this sometimes gloomy one. Maybe you'll read it, maybe you won't, who knows.

Anyway, here's the new chapter, finally. I hope you enjoy.

P.S. – I hate this chapter, I kind of rushed the ending. Sorry about that, hopefully the next one will be better.

Oh, and thanks for the reviews, I love them. Ambient Space Noise, they actually made me smile. I don't think I've ever smiled so big at a review before. Thank you so much for your kind reviews, I always look forward to them.

Disclaimer – I don't own ze' story!

April 7, 2001

It was almost a month later that Jackie and Donna had found a place to stay, as a matter of fact, they were out signing the papers on an apartment right now. Chris had taken Callie to the park looking over the twin towers about an hour ago. Donna didn't want Callie out on her own in the city, but Eric knew Chris wouldn't let anything happen to her. Besides, he went to that park almost every day and Callie was getting really determined to tag along with him. So when Donna and Jackie left, Eric gave Callie permission, as long as they returned home at 3:00 sharp, not a minute after.

Eric should be home by then. Today was the day he was going to go see his old friend Sadie for the first time in years. He was excited and nervous at the same time. He wanted to know what she had been up to lately and how she had been doing, he also wanted to know about all his old friends and if she had heard from them at all since they all parted ways. He doubted she knew where all of them were, but he was just hoping for the best.

Eric looked at himself in the mirror, making sure he looked halfway decent. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a red logo of some Chinese restaurant he used to eat at all the time, black pants, and grey sneakers. Eric though he looked alright, and he was sure Sadie couldn't give a crap about how he looked. This was New York City, not a fancy French restaurant. Eric shrugged and grabbed his purple hat off the counter and slapped it on his head before he went to the door, grabbing his orange skateboard on the way out.

Eric arrived at Sadie's place about half an hour later. She still lived right outside Greenwich Village, the same exact apartment Eric had lived in for all those years. Apparently she has some new people living there now, Eric was actually kind of excited to meet them. Sadie always had the coolest friends. Eric swallowed nervously before he opened the door and started the exhausting climb to the thirteenth floor. There was no elevator in this building, as it was very old, it was probably constructed in the 1930's.

After several minutes of climbing, Eric finally made it to the thirteenth floor and stood right outside Sadie's door. Room 1304. Eric smiled as he looked down the door, inappropriate drawings from the early eighties sketched onto it. Eric remembers himself and Max getting yelled at by the landlord for it.

Good times.

Eric heard some voices on the other side of the door and inhaled sharply. Once Eric had called this is home, but now he felt like a stranger. Eric slowly lifted his hand and knocked softly on the door. He then stepped back a little and waited for it to be answered.

A moment later, the door squeaked open and there in front of Eric was a child, maybe eleven or twelve. He had dark hair and brown eyes, he had tan colored skin, but not like a sun tan, more like he was mixed race.

Eric smiled, "Hi, is Sadie here?"

The boy turned around and yellowed out into the room, "Mom! That man is here!"

Eric's eyes widened when he called her Mom. This must be—"Eric!" Sadie's voice suddenly broke through his thoughts as she came up behind her son. Eric looked up at her. She was just as beautiful as he remembered her. She didn't even looked like she had aged at all.

"Hi Sadie," Eric smiled as Sadie pushed past her son and wrapped Eric into a big hug.

Eric chuckled and hugged her back, patting her back awkwardly. After a moment of hugging, Sadie pulled away and looked Eric up and down, "Wow… You haven't changed a bit."

Eric shrugged, "You know, besides the graying hair."

Sadie flapped her hand to brush it off, "No, it suits you."

Eric raised an eyebrow, "Thanks?"

Sadie giggled before stepping out of the way so Eric could come inside. After he was in the apartment, Sadie closed the door and turned back to him, her young son still standing next to her, looking up at Eric in curiosity.

Eric smiled down at the boy before looking up at Sadie, who was an inch taller than Eric, "Is this…?"

Sadie smiled, "Yes, this is Bobby."

Eric smiled down at the boy, "How old are you now, Bobby?"

"Twelve," He replied, his frown never fading, "Who are you?"

"Oh yeah, you probably don't remember me all that much," Eric replied, "I'm Eric, I used to live here a long time ago. I was actually there when you were born."

Bobby's eyes brightened suddenly as he smiled a tad, "Eric Forman? The guy my Mom talks about all the time?"

Eric smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I guess that'd be me."

"Oh yeah!" Bobby smiled, "You're pictures on the fridge! I just didn't recognize you because you're older."

Eric smiled at the kid's sudden excitement, "My pictures on the fridge?"

Bobby nodded, "Yeah! It's a picture of you holding me when I was a baby! Mom told me you're my Godfather!"

Eric smiled as the boy grabbed his hand and dragged him into the kitchen, Sadie following them. Eric remembers when Sadie asked Eric if he wanted to be Bobby's Godfather. It was after Sadie was released from the hospital and was able to take Bobby home.

It was one of the greatest days of Eric's life.

Eric was skid to a stop when he and the boy came into the kitchen in front of the fridge. The twelve year old pointed to the picture on the refrigerator door and smiled, "See, there we are!"

Eric smiled as he looked at the photo. It was taken maybe a week or so after the boy's birth in the September of 1988.

The boy then pointed to the photo next to it, "These are Mom's old roommates, but she doesn't talk about them much."

Eric looked over at where the boy was pointing. It was the group in 1983, but that was just a rough estimate, it could be a little later. Eric was in the photo sitting squished between Joe and Max.

"There's my Dad," Bobby said, pointing to the dark skinned man in the photo before smiling up at Eric, "But I'm sure you already knew that."

Eric smiled and nodded as Sadie suddenly pushed between the two, "Okay, Bobby. Let me and Eric talk for a few minutes."

"Okay," Bobby said as Sadie started leading Eric to the small dining room, Bobby following.

Sadie looked down at her son and smiled smugly, "By ourselves."

Bobby frowned, "Damn! I almost had ye'!"

Sadie frowned at her son as he dashed out of the room, "Watch your language!"

"Sorry!" He called back as he disappeared in the living room.

Eric chuckled as Sadie led him to the table. He sat down and watched as Sadie sat next to him, a friendly smile on her face, "You look great, Eric," She said, looking him up and down.

Eric smiled back at her, "You too, Sadie. You haven't aged a day."

Sadie rolled her eyes, "Yeah right…" She giggled before looking Eric in the eye, "How have you been?"

Eric shrugged, "Good… As of late, a few friends reappeared in my life."

Sadie raised her eyebrows and leaned forward, "I'm listening."

Eric then went into the story of how Jackie, Donna and Hyde came storming back into his life and how things seem awkward between him and his old flame, but that he gets along well with Hyde and Jackie now, and that his adopted son and Callie are getting… Together? If you could really call it that.

Sadie seemed intrigued by this whole thing, and she really paid attention to the way he talked about this Jackie woman. He seemed to be into talking about her more than anyone else.

After Eric finished talking about his life in the past or so, Sadie smiled at him smugly, "It seems as if your life's been a little busy lately."

Eric nodded, leaning forward on his elbows, "Yeah, it's a mess… But a good one," He smiled at that.

Sadie smiled back and leaned her cheek in her hand, "Tell me more about this Jackie woman, you seem to really dig her."

Eric blushed a little, "Was it that obvious?"

Sadie tilted her head a little, "Honey, you were practically screaming it."

Eric blushed harder and averted Sadie's gaze, "Maybe… Maybe I like her a little."

Sadie sat up and smiled, "But…?"

"But, there's Donna!" Eric said, sitting up suddenly, "She'd be furious over this whole thing!"

Sadie furrowed her brow and leaned forward a little, putting a gentle hand on Eric's forearm, "But it's not about what Donna wants. It's about what you want."

Eric shook his head, "It's more complicated than that… Donna and I went out for years and we almost got married at a time! I don't think I could stand her reaction if me and Jackie went out, it would crush me!"

Sadie pursed her lips and gazed at Eric sweetly, "You and Donna have been apart for 22 years. She's been married, she has a kid with this other man. Is it really her place to tell you who you can and can't go out with?"

Eric shook his head, "Well, no, but—"

"But nothing, sweetie," Sadie cut him off, "The heart wants what the heart wants, and your heart is sending you a message."

Eric smiled at how corny that sounded, but ignored the sarcastic remark his brain tried getting him to say, "I don't think Jackie likes me that way anyway. She'd probably laugh at me and call me a dork."

"You guys aren't kids anymore, Eric," Sadie said, leaning back in her chair, "She won't laugh at you. The worst thing she could say is no."

Eric nodded, "You're right… But, I don't think now is the right time."

Sadie raised one eyebrow, "Why not?"

Eric smirked, "Because Jackie and Donna literally just signed the papers on their new apartment. Together."

Sadie hissed between her teeth and smiled, "Ooh, yeah, that'd be a little awkward. Maybe… Maybe wait a little while longer, at least until Jackie thinks she should get out of Donna's hair or something. She'll want a place to herself eventually."

Eric nodded, "Maybe…" Eric sighed before looking up at Sadie, "But enough about me, how have you been?"

Sadie then told Eric how she's been in the last few years. She currently has some other people living with her, but they're all out working. There's Jack and Evan, who are currently dating each other. Jack is an artist and Evan is a journalist. And then there's John, he's a cabbie. Teresa is also living here with her girlfriend Quinta, they both work at the theater, only Teresa's an actress and Quinta's a set designer.

Sadie then told Eric about their old friends.

Wendy was married now to a man called Fred. They've been married for five years and have two adopted kids. A boy and girl named Rivers and Clare. Rivers is eight and Clara is nine.

Dyke was married and he had a son named William, or Bill, as he lovingly called him. Bill would be six this May and he played little league flag football. Dyke was a pediatrician like he had always wanted to be and was apparently very happy.

And then there was Max. Sadie said she hadn't spoken to Max in over a year, but the last she heard from him he sounded well. He wasn't depressed anymore and he still worked at NYU. At least she thought he did. Eric would have to go visit him some time. He was the one he wanted to see the most. He just wanted to make amends and be friends again, he missed his old best friend.

After a few more minutes of talking, Sadie decided to get up and go get drinks for the two. She was only gone for a few seconds when Eric started feeling weird. He started feeling some tingling in his toes, and then his fingers and these pins and needles seemed to climb up his body. Eric knew exactly what was about to happen and needed to find somewhere to lay that was safe before it started.

Eric got to his feet and stumbled out of his chair, suddenly feeling weak and lightheaded.

"Eric? Are you okay?" Sadie called, hearing the chair scoot across the tile floor loudly.

Eric swallowed thickly, his mouth feeling dry. He tried calling out for Sadie to come help him before he fell or something, but nothing came out and Eric soon found himself falling as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. The last thing he remembers is a sharp pain in his head before he hit the ground.

0-0-0-0-0

Eric woke to the sound of beeping and people's muffled voices. He slowly cracked open his eyes and groaned a little bit. His vision was blurred and all he saw was white. The ceiling possibly? Eric shook his head a little and immediately regretted that decision when he was met with a sharp searing pain in his brain. He groaned and brought his hand to his head and as he opened his eyes he saw several beeping machines next to him. Great. He was in a hospital.

He hasn't been here like this in a while.

"He's awake!" He heard a familiar voice say, his vision and hearing returning to its normal state.

He was suddenly met with a loud, worried voice intruding his ears, "Eric? Can you hear me?"

Eric groaned and put a hand to his ear, a little annoyed at the shrill sound, "Yes… Yes, I can hear you."

His voice sounded groggy, it was almost scratchy and unrecognizable. Eric looked around the room for something to drink, "Water?" He asked.

This was when he noticed the girl fretting over him was none other than Jackie Burkhart. His breath hitched in his throat which caused him to cough violently. Jackie gasped and grabbed the glass of slightly cold water from the table next to the bed and handed it to him, "Here!"

Eric took the glass from Jackie and took slow, small gulps. He put the glass back on the table and looked up at his friend, "Jackie? What are you doing here?"

Jackie put her purse down in the chair next to her and sat on the edge of Eric's bed, "Your friend called me. She told me you fell and hit your head."

"Hit my head?" Eric questioned, but Jackie ignored him and went on.

"It's pretty bad, the doctor's think you may have a concussion," Jackie said as she brought her hand up to Eric's head and pushed his hair back.

Eric swallowed nervously at the movement, his face turning a little red when he realized just how close Jackie was. She kept fiddling with his hair, which he liked, but at the same time, didn't.

"Where is the doctor, exactly?" Eric asked, his voice cracking a lot as he spoke.

Jackie just shook it off as his throat being dry and shrugged, "He should be here any minute. Sadie went to go get him when you woke up," Jackie then smiled, "She's just wonderful, I can't believe you used to live with her! She's so funny and careless, I've never met a woman like her before!"

Eric gulped again as he looked over Jackie's shoulder for the doctor so he could be filled in on exactly what was going on.

Jackie grabbed Eric's hand, garnering his attention. He looked up at her and into her hazel eyes. They were so pretty, "Are you okay though? Sadie said you hit your head pretty hard."

Eric nodded nervously, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

"Does it hurt," Jackie asked as she pushed her hand through his hair again and fixed the bandage wrapped around his head, "The doctor's said it was a wonder you didn't crack your skull."

Eric shrugged uncomfortably and shook his head slightly, "No, it doesn't hurt too bad…" That was a massive lie. It hurt like hell, but she was distracting him, which was good.

"Mr. Forman," A gruff male voice suddenly spoke. Eric turned his attention to the doctor holding a clipboard as he approached the younger man, "You took quite the spill."

Eric smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head nervously, "Yeah, I have epilepsy, you see. I guess I was getting ready to have a seizure and I guess when I passed out I fell…"

"And you hit your hand on my nice hand crafted table," Sadie said as she stood behind the doctor, her arms crossed, "Now there's blood on it."

Eric smiled and put his hands up, "Sorry?"

Sadie shook her head, but she couldn't hide the small smug smile, "You better be, it took Joe six weeks to finish that."

Jackie looked between Eric and Sadie in shock and confusion. She doesn't know how they can just joke about Eric's disease like it's nothing, because Jackie thought Eric's seizures were the scariest things ever.

"Well, Mr. Forman, you do have a mild traumatic brain injury," The doctor said, "You lost consciousness, so that would make this a grade three concussion. Can you tell me any symptoms you are experiencing now?"

Eric winced and thought for a moment before he spoke, "Um, I got a headache, I'm feeling a little dizzy… The lights seem a little bright."

The doctor nodded as he looked up from his note pad, "Those are all normal symptoms. You also probably don't remember much of what happened before you passed out."

Eric shook his head and looked down at himself. It was then that he realized he was still in his street clothes and he actually didn't have anything hooked to him. What a relief. Maybe he wouldn't have to stay overnight.

"Can he come home tonight?" Jackie asked.

The doctor nodded, "Yes, he can. It's just a mild brain injury, but when you take your husband home he might be a bit loopy. So don't alarmed if he babbles nonsense or anything like that."

Jackie and Eric both froze when he referred to Eric as her husband, but Jackie did nothing to correct him, she just nodded hesitantly and said, "Okay, thank you."

The doctor nodded, "I'll just go get this sorted out and you can have him discharged."

Jackie nodded as the doctor left the room, "Okay. Thanks again."

"No problem," He called from the hall and disappeared from sight.

0-0-0-0-0

Jackie helped Eric into his apartment that night after they bid Sadie farewell. Sadie and Jackie exchanged numbers and went on with their night. When Jackie opened the door she was immediately met with yelling. Great.

Eric winced as he Jackie stormed inside the apartment, trying to see what the hell was going on. Donna was yelling at her daughter for something as Chris sat on the couch with his ears covered as he hummed loudly, as if he was trying to block out the more alarming sound.

"What the hell is going on?" Jackie yelled and Donna and Callie immediately stopped bickering and turned to look at Jackie.

Callie crossed her arms and looked at Jackie, "Mom's being unfair!"

"I'm being perfectly fair! You don't just go running off like that and not tell anybody where you're going!" Donna yelled back.

"I did tell somebody! I told Eric!" Callie said.

Donna then turned her attention to Eric and raised an eyebrow, "You knew about this?"

Eric covered his ears and winced, "Knew about what?"

"Callie going to the park with Chris!" Donna spat.

Eric nodded and rubbed the side of his head in pain, "Yes, I told them to be back by three. And were you back by three, Chris?"

Chris kept humming to himself and rocking back and forth, causing Eric to repeat himself, "Chris!"

Chris jerked out of his little world and looked up at Eric, his eyes wide behind his glasses, "What?"

"You were back by three, right?" Eric asked again, quietly this time but with an obvious twinge of annoyance in his voice.

Chris nodded, "You know I'm never late."

Eric nodded and turned to Donna, "So what's the big deal?"

Donna threw her arms down and glared at Eric like he was a moron, "What's the big deal? You could've at least told me where they went!"

Eric shook his head, "No, you would've never allowed her to go if I did."

Donna nodded, "You're right, I wouldn't have. Because Callie is too young to be going around the city by herself."

Eric shook his head again and messed with ear that was ringing, "They weren't going around the city, they went to the park. That's it."

Donna glared at Eric, "How do you know, were you there?"

Eric winced at Donna's sharp tone and snapped back in annoyance, "It's called trusting your kids, Donna."

Donna was taken aback by his words. Why was he being so cold? "I do trust Callie, I was just worried about her getting hurt is all."

Callie rolled her eyes, "I wasn't going to get hurt, Mom. I was with Chris."

Donna looked down at Callie, "Chris isn't much bigger than you."

Callie glared back at her mother, "He's strong, he wouldn't have let anything happen to me."

Chris nodded in agreement, "That's true. I wouldn't have. She's safe with me, Miss."

Donna looked down at Chris and rolled her eyes, "Would you quit calling me that?"

Chris looked down at his feet in embarrassment as Callie looked over at Eric, "What happened to you?"

Eric rubbed his sore temple and winced once more, "I fell."

"Do you have stitches?" Callie asked, smiling suddenly, "Cool!"

"Yeah, and my head hurt's like a bitch and I'd like to go to bed now," Eric snapped irritably, but felt bad once he said it, "Sorry I'm being so whiny, I just don't really feel good."

Jackie grabbed Eric's arm as he took a step and stumbled, "Here, I'll help you to your room."

Eric smiled a fake smile, "Thanks Jackie."

Jackie slowly walked around the three people in the living room and towards the hall, leaving them all in the living room to sort through their problems themselves.

Jackie looked up at Eric as she walked him down the hall, his eyes had dark rings under them as sleep began to overtake him.

"Just a few more steps Eric," Jackie said, "And I still need to give you your medication."

Eric flapped his hand, "I don't need it."

"The doctor said it would help with the pain and that it might help you sleep," Jackie said as she opened Eric's door and helped him inside, "I doubt you'll be able to sleep with that pounding headache of yours."

Eric yawned as Jackie pushed him towards his bed, his eyes watering because of it, "Alright, where are they then?"

Jackie pulled the canister out of her purse as Eric sat down on his bed and wiped his eyes of sleep. Jackie opened the canister and pulled out a pill and handed it to Eric, "The doctor said it would take just a few minutes for it to kick in, so you get into something comfortable while I go try to calm down this mess out here."

Eric nodded and swallowed the pill as Jackie turned around and left the room to go back to the living room, where she could still hear the three arguing, but they were quieter this time.

"Have we solved the problem yet?" Jackie asked, walking into the living room and crossing her arms.

All three of them turned and looked at Jackie. Donna raised an eyebrow, "Is Eric asleep already?"

Jackie shook her head, "He's waiting for his loopy pills to kick in. Now answer my question. Are you three still bitching?"

Donna glared at Jackie and then looked back at the two teens behind her, "We're trying to work it out."

Callie rolled her eyes, "There's nothing to work out. Me and Chris went to the park, we're here now, everything' fine. End of story."

Donna looked back to her daughter and snapped back, "Not end of story. You still disobeyed me and went somewhere without telling me. You're in loads of trouble."

"What?!" Callie cried, "But we just went to the park! It's not even that far from here!"

"We'll talk about this in the morning," Donna snapped, rubbing a hand across her eyes, "Just go to bed."

Callie dropped her arms by her sides and gave her mother an unbelieving look, "But—"

"Go!" Donna snapped, pointing a finger towards the hall.

Callie gasped at her mother irritable and angry tone before she hardened her gaze and stormed around her mother, "You wouldn't have cared if I went with somebody besides Chris."

Donna's look suddenly shifted to that of a sadder looking one, "That's not true—"

"But it is!" Callie snapped, spinning around and glaring up at her mother, "Just admit it, you never liked me hanging out with Chris, and I don't know why, but it really pisses me off!"

Donna was too shocked to scold Callie for her language, so she just let her continue, "Maybe one day you'll be happy with me being with who I want to be with, but until then, I guess I'll just have to continue making you upset! Because guess what, Mom?! I'm happy here with Chris, and for some reason you can't understand that!"

Callie then stormed down the hall, but not before calling, "Come on, Chris!"

Chris flinched and looked up at the two adults in the room. Donna looked upset and Jackie held a sympathetic look.

Jackie put a hand on Chris's shoulder and gently pushed him past her, "Go on to bed Chris, I'll see you in the morning."

As Chris passed her she planted a kiss on the side of his head before he ventured down the hallway after Callie. After he disappeared from view and earshot, Jackie shot a glance towards Donna as she crossed her arms.

"What the hell was that all about?" Jackie asked a guilty looking Donna, "Is it true? You don't like Callie hanging out with Chris?"

Donna shook her head, "No, that's not true. I just don't like Callie going anywhere… With him."

Jackie raised an eyebrow as she for some reason took offense to that, "Why not?"

Donna shrugged and avoided Jackie's gaze, "Because… I don't… I don't really trust Chris…"

"Why?" Jackie was generally confused, because Chris was such a nice kid.

Donna threw her hands up, "Because he can barely even socialize properly, much less protect Callie if anything ever happened."

Jackie rolled her eyes, "Please, he threw a vase at his mother when she made him angry. Chris cares a lot about Callie, if anybody ever tried to hurt her, he'd protect her. Trust me."

Donna shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest, "I don't know…"

Jackie rolled her eyes and was about to retort when she heard, "Jackie!"

She looked over Donna's shoulder and saw Eric stumbling around in the hallway, his shirt partially over his head and his arms sticking up in the arm through the sleeves. Jackie had to suppress a giggle.

"I think the meds kicked in," Jackie smiled, putting a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

Donna turned around to look at Eric as he called out, "I can't get my shirt on."

Jackie rolled her eyes once more before she stepped over to Eric, "You're such a dork," She said as she grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it down. The shirt went over his head and revealed his very tired looking face.

Eric looked down at himself and smiled, "Yay!"

Jackie giggled as he turned around and stumbled back towards his room, calling out to Jackie, "Come tuck me in!"

Jackie smiled and nodded, "I'll be there in a minute!"

As he went back into his room, Jackie turned back around to face Donna, who didn't look very pleased. Jackie suddenly frowned and gave her a questioning look, "What?"

"You two sure have become very close lately," Donna said, "Anything you want to tell me?"

Jackie took that the wrong way, "What are you implying?"

Donna glared at Jackie, "You used to hate Eric and now all the sudden you're all kissy-kissy with him."

Jackie huffed irritably, "You need to go to bed, because you're being a total bitch."

Donna gaped as Jackie spun around on her heel, definitely not in the mood to argue about something else with her tonight.

"Goodnight Donna, hope you feel better in the morning," Jackie snapped as she went to Eric's room.

After leaving Donna by herself in the living room, she found Eric sitting on his bed, counting his fingers. He looked up at her in total amazement and held his hands up, "Jackie, I have ten fingers!"

Jackie snickered and nodded as she went over to Eric and helped him stand. Jackie pulled Eric's blankets back so he could get into bed as he stood behind her, watching her intently, "Jackie, you wanna know a secret?"

Jackie looked over at Eric briefly as she fixed his bedsheets, "Sure Eric."

Eric nodded and grabbed Jackie's shoulders and spun her around to face him, "I think you're very, very pretty."

Jackie blushed when he said that, she almost didn't know what to say. Might as well hit him with some good old fashioned sarcasm, "Thanks Eric. You're very pretty, too."

Eric smiled, his eyes starting to fall closed, "Thank you."

Jackie patted his arm and helped him sit down on his bed as he mumbled something incoherent under his breath.

"Come on, under the covers we go," Jackie said, pulling the blankets up to Eric's chest.

Eric smiled as Jackie smoothed the blankets over his body before she looked back up at Eric, "Comfortable?"

Eric nodded with a smile. Jackie giggled. He looked like a little kid.

"I meant what I said, Jackie," Eric yawned, rolling over a little, "I think you're the most beautiful girl in the world."

Jackie blushed again and just had to ask, "Even prettier than Donna?"

Eric nodded as he closed his eyes, "Even prettier than Donna."

Jackie smiled and blushed harder. She kind of liked Eric when he was high on pain killers. That sounded weird.

Eric yawned again and slowly drifted off to sleep, but not before he mumbled, "I love you, Jackie…"

Jackie smiled sweetly as Eric slowly drifted off into sleep. She was sure he meant that in a friendship type away. And he was high, after all. But she couldn't help but feel there was some type of truth behind those words.

Jackie gazed at him a moment longer before she stood and went to the door, but not before she looked back at Eric and smiled sweetly, "I love you, too, Eric," She said as she turned off the light.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N – I have returned! Haha! Marla's Lost – Thanks for the nice review, and yes, I will be writing about September 11th, you have been warned. Ambient Space Noise – Thanks for the review, they always make me smile. Don't worry, there will be more Callie/Chris/Donna drama in the future. I'm not quite sure what kind of medication Eric is taking, I got the reaction he had from my mother, who had to take pain meds last year, I just can't remember the name. Again, thanks for the reviews guys, they're awesome and never fail to make my day a little brighter.

Anyway, here's a chapter that I'm very proud of. It's my favorite chapter I've written so far, but let there be a warning. There is angst ahead. If you are triggered by depression and mentions of mental health, then read with caution. This chapter's a bit of a plot twist.

Disclaimer – I. Do. Not. Own.

April 8, 2001

Jackie slept on the couch the night before, not really in the mood to share a room with Donna. Things have been extra tense since Hyde left to go back to Wisconsin. Hyde had made his peace with Eric and they were cool again. He promised not to tell Red and Kitty where their son was, as Eric said he wanted to contact them himself. Eric said he would go visit them soon, he was just a little nervous. Jackie would be too, it's probably pretty stressful to visit your parents for the first time in 22 years.

Anyway, Donna still obviously had a thing for Eric, with the way she had been acting towards Jackie recently. And Jackie had to admit to herself, she kind of had a thing for Eric too. It took her a while to admit that, but it was true. She liked Eric.

Jackie stretched her arms out above her head as she lay on the couch, looking up at the ceiling sleepily. The memories of the heated night previous suddenly flooded her mind and now she had the urge to go check on everybody, to make sure they were all okay.

Jackie slowly sat up and peered around the room. It was a bit of a mess. The coffee table was cluttered with dozens of things, there were dirty clothes on the floor, several full ashtrays used by Chris's mother lying all around the room. Barbara pretty much slept all day and partied all night. Jackie knew what she did, but Eric told her not to tell anyone, as social services would take Chris away because Eric didn't have legal guardianship over the teenager.

He told her he was trying his best to get Barbara help, and she did want to get better, for Chris's sake. It was just hard for her to get off such an addictive drug.

Jackie figured she should probably get up and go check on everybody, make sure they were all okay and nobody ran away in the middle of the night. *cough, *couch, Callie, *cough, *cough.

She stretched her arms above her head quickly before she stood and started down the hall. She figured she'd check on Chris first and just go from there, she saw Callie order him after her last night, so maybe she was in here as well.

Jackie slowly creaked open the beaten and battered door and peered across the small, cozy room at the small bed on the wall. There lay Chris, on his back, snoring softly as Callie laid next to him, one arm rested over Chris's chest and one arm laid above her head as she snored a little louder than Chris. It was kind of cute. Jackie smiled before she slowly closed the door again and went to check on the other two that were involved in some struggles the previous night.

She opened Donna's door and peaked in on her. She was laying on her side in the fetal position facing away from Jackie. She was snoring softly, signaling to Jackie that she was still asleep. Jackie closed the door and walked down the hall to check on Eric. He had a rough night last night. Seizure, concussion, hospital, meds, and being high as a kite. The last bit was pretty funny, but Jackie knew that he'd probably have a hell of a headache this morning and he might be bitchy.

Jackie opened his bedroom door and looked in on him. He was tossing and turning and groaning, as if in serious pain. Jackie widened her eyes in alarm and opened his door further and rushed into his room, darting to his bedside.

"Eric?" Jackie grabbed his shoulder and shook him gently. This is when she noticed the sweat that was beaded up on his forehead, his hair was soaked through with it. Jackie shook him a little harder this time, "Eric, are you okay? Eric… Wake up."

She didn't want to be too loud, not wanting to wake everyone else up. Eric groaned a little more, wincing in pain it seemed. Jackie noticed how pale he was as he suddenly whipped his head towards her and mumbled something incoherent.

"Eric! Wake up," Jackie whispered harshly.

After a few more rougher shakes, Eric's eyes finally shot open and he looked around the room frantically, "Jackie!" He cried her name as he woke, his hazel eyes wide and seemingly frightened. He looked terrified, "Jackie?... Are you… Are you okay?"

Jackie furrowed her eyebrows and gazed down at him in concern and confusion, "Yeah, I'm fine… Did you have a nightmare?"

Eric looked up at Jackie for a moment before he averted his gaze and sat up quickly, "Yeah, but it was nothing… I'm fine now."

Jackie eyed him as he got up and out of bed. He didn't look alright. He was pale, sweating, and trembling. He stumbled as he walked over to his dresser and looked for a clean shirt that wasn't soaked through with sweat.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jackie asked as she stood and watched him closely.

Eric nodded as he pulled a black t-shirt out of a drawer, "Yes, I'm fine. Why?"

Jackie rolled her eyes and put all her weight on one foot, "Because, when I came in here you were talking in your sleep and… You're soaked through with sweat."

Eric pulled his t-shirt off and over his head before he threw it in the corner, where a pile of dirty clothes was sitting, "I assure you, I'm fine, Jackie," He said this as he was about to put a clean shirt on, but as he was about to do that, he suddenly dry heaved and put a hand to his stomach.

Jackie set her shoulders back and stood up straight, letting her arms fall limp by her sides, "Eric? Are you alright?"

Eric nodded, but he dry heaved again before he dropped his shirt and ran out the door and down the hall to the bathroom. Jackie rushed after him and when she saw him again he was over the toilet, dry heaving more and more.

Jackie tried not to watch, but she was worried about him and didn't want to leave him alone. Jackie went to the bathroom sink and grabbed a cup before filling it with water as Eric continued to try to get something to come up. Jackie set the water on the counter and looked down at Eric as he wretched over the toilet bowl, looking miserable.

Jackie just stood there, not really knowing what to do. Though she winced and tried not gag herself when she watched Eric, out of pure frustration with himself, stick his fingers down his throat and hit his gag reflex and force himself to vomit.

Eric hurled over the toilet, finally letting last night's meal pour into the toilet bowl as Jackie sat on the edge of the tub and hesitantly put a gentle, soothing hand on his bare back. It was then that Jackie realized just how skinny he was. He was always skinny, but now he just looks… Frail. It's as if he doesn't eat like he's supposed to. He's a lot skinnier than she remembered him being when they were teenagers. Usually aging brings more weight, not less.

It only got worse when Jackie began to rub his back slowly, trying to sooth him. She could feel his spine underneath her fingers, and she noticed it was more visible than most peoples. She suddenly became worried.

As Eric finished vomiting and resorted to dry heaving once more, Jackie grabbed the cup of water from the counter and held it out for Eric to take. When he finished gagging and took a few deep, wheezing breaths, he took the cup from Jackie and sipped it slowly, still kneeled in front of the toilet.

Jackie noticed the fresh tears running down his cheeks and the dark circles under his eyes. And was he always this pale? He did usually wear brighter colors, maybe it was to take away from his pale skin?

After Eric finished drinking, he set the cup next to him on the floor before he sat down and leaned back against the side of the tub.

He looked so miserable.

He sniffled, but he left the wet tears on his face, not bothering to wipe them away as he looked into blank space, his eyes looking tired. Jackie looked down at him, his whole body trembling. That's when Jackie noticed something down around his waist.

"Eric?" Jackie said curiously and with a twinge of worry as she pointed at his midsection, "What's that?"

Eric pulled in a sharp, shaking breath as he looked over at Jackie slowly and then to where she was pointing. He looked down at his waist and shook his head immediately, refusing to answer her question, "It's nothing. Can you go get me my shirt?"

Jackie hardened her gaze and glared at Eric, "No, not until you tell me what all that is."

Eric rolled his eyes, but hardened his gaze as well, "Jackie, I don't want to talk about it, just go get my shirt, please."

Jackie stood and turned around to look at Eric face to face, her small hands on her hips, "Eric."

That sounded like a warning, but Eric didn't budge, "No, Jackie."

Jackie just glared at him, pushing for answers silently. She was seriously getting worried about him. First the nightmare, now it was how pale he was, how frail he was. Granted, he did just throw up, which could have something to do with why he was so pale, but he was skinny. Almost too much. No. He was too skinny.

"Eric…" Jackie softened her voice and her gaze, feeling like maybe she could break him being more sympathetic, "I'm worried about you."

After a moment of Jackie's gaze, Eric's look softened as well. He averted eye contact and looked to the ground, sniffling, as if he were trying not to cry, "Jackie… I said I don't want to talk about it."

Eric was trembling a little harder now, his eyes glassy as a single tear fell from the corner of his eye. Jackie's heart broke a little at how broken he looked. Something was seriously wrong with him. Jackie slowly stepped towards him, her eyes showing sympathy and worry as she gently grabbed his shaking hands. They were cold and clammy.

"Eric," Jackie said softly, squeezing his hands a little, "Tell me what's wrong."

Eric looked down at his feet and choked back a sob and he shook his head, "I can't."

Jackie raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

Eric let a few tears falls from his eyes and go crashing to the floor, "Because… It's pathetic."

Jackie looked down at Eric's waist again and asked once more, "Eric. What are these?"

Eric didn't want to tell her, she'd probably think he was a loser, or pathetic or something like that. But he had to tell her, she'd never let it go.

Eric started crying a little bit, which caused Jackie to look up at him and frown. She removed her hand from his and put it up to his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb and wiping away his tears, "Eric?"

Eric sucked in a breath and sobbed a little more before he finally said, "I'm so unhappy, Jackie."

Jackie's heart sank at his words. She looked back down to his waist and asked, "Did you do this to yourself?"

Eric sobbed and nodded slowly, leaning into Jackie's touch. Jackie pulled her hand away from Eric's face trailed her fingers along the many scars along his waist. She was so caught up in it all that she almost missed some larger scars up on his stomach and chest. How had she not noticed this last night when he was asking her for help putting on a shirt? Well, it was kind of dark.

"Oh my God, Eric," Jackie said, feeling tears sting her eyes as well, "How could you do this to yourself."

Eric sobbed harder at that, causing Jackie to look up at him and instantly regret saying those words. She shook her head, "No, I didn't mean it that way."

Eric was clenching and unclenching his fists, as if he didn't know what to do. So Jackie wrapped her arms around his middle and pulled him close. Eric wasn't even surprised at the sudden embrace, he just cherished it. He buried his head into her shoulder and cried as Jackie rubbed his bare back soothingly.

Jackie could feel tears stinging her eyes, she couldn't believe Eric was so… Depressed. He hid it well, but Jackie did notice he was a little out of it sometimes.

"Do you refuse to eat, too?" Jackie asked, asserting his physical health now.

She felt Eric shake his head into her shoulder as he responded with, "No… I just force myself to throw up most of the time."

Jackie could feel Eric trembling in her arms, his body wracking with sobs. Jackie wished she could hold him like this forever, comfort him in her arms and let him know everything was going to be okay. But she couldn't. She didn't even know why he was depressed. She didn't know that much about him at all.

Jackie rubbed his back soothingly for a few more moments before she pulled away from him and looked up at him, but he averted her gaze and gazed at the floor sadly. Jackie looked down at his middle to examine the scars. Some were new, some were old, which prompted the question, "How long have you been doing this?"

Eric sniffled and shrugged his shoulders, "A year… Maybe longer."

Jackie looked back down at his scars. Most of them were small, but there were some smaller ones, they were all healed, signaling he hadn't cut himself in a while.

"Did you stop?" Jackie asked, trying to look into his eyes, but he kept looking away.

But he nodded, "I haven't… Cut myself for a few months."

Jackie noticed how he hesitated to speak those words, as if he were ashamed of what he's done, "What made you stop?"

Eric shook his head, "I can't tell you that, I promised not to tell anyone."

Jackie furrowed her brow curiously, "Who made you promise?"

Eric shook his head, "That's not going to work, Jackie."

Jackie tried thinking of what might have made him stop cutting himself. He was obviously still depressed, so he didn't just stop himself. Chris maybe? Maybe he found out about it?

"Was it Chris?" Jackie asked.

Eric finally caught her eyes with his, his eyes showing every negative emotion Jackie could think of, "How'd you know that?"

Jackie grabbed Eric's arm gently, "Chris is the only one you really care about and love, Eric. I know you don't get along with Barbara, Chris is the only explanation."

Eric looked down at his feet again and nodded, "I didn't stop because he found out."

Eric said it so quietly, Jackie only caught a few words, "Sorry?"

Eric looked up at Jackie, a smile on his face, but it wasn't happy, it was incredulous and sad, "I found out about him."

Jackie furrowed her eyebrows once more, in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Eric sniffed and looked down at Jackie's hand on his arm before he answered her question, "He cuts himself… I only stopped because he does it."

Jackie felt her breath catch in her throat in silent surprise, "Chris… Chris cuts himself, too?"

Eric nodded and looked away from Jackie as he went on, "I only stopped because when I caught him cutting himself, it tore me up… I stopped because I realized that doing stuff like that to yourself effects other people emotionally. I wanted to give him a hug and ask him why he hurt himself, but I couldn't, because… I do the exact same thing to myself and I couldn't answer him if he asked me why I hurt myself. It's hard to talk about this kind of stuff, you know? It's harder to talk about it with your own kids."

Jackie gently squeezed Eric's arm a little, a show of support for what he's going through, "Does Callie know about Chris?"

Eric shook his head, "I don't think so."

Jackie nodded before asking Eric, "Does Chris know about you?"

Eric shook his head slowly, "No. I never told him."

"What about Chris? Does he still… You know?" Jackie had to know.

Eric shook his head once again, "No. Not recently. I think Callie helped him. With his depression. She's his first friend."

Jackie smiled at that, "She cares about him a lot."

Eric scoffed and nodded, "Yeah, I know."

Eric looked up at Jackie, their eyes meeting as Eric slowly calmed himself down. Eric's eyes were so… Bright, but he looked like a tortured soul. She could see the pain in his eyes. She'd never really looked into his eyes before, not really.

Jackie couldn't tell, but it seemed as if Eric had gotten closer to her. His eyes kept flicking to her mouth. Yes, he was definitely getting closer. Jackie felt her heart speed up at his intense gaze on her, she could feel the warmth radiating off his body. She wanted to kiss him, but she wasn't sure now was such a good time. Not with everything that had just happened.

"Eric, I—" But Jackie was suddenly cut off by a shrill, pissed off sounding voice coming from her left.

"What the hell is going on here?" Jackie and Eric both directed their attention to the side and saw Donna standing in the hall, glaring at both of them, catching them in a very intimate moment.

"Donna!" Eric cried, stepping back from Jackie and hugging his arms around himself, trying to hide his scars from Donna. He didn't want everyone to know about this.

Jackie saw Eric's arms wrap around himself, which caused her to step in front of him and block his body out of Donna's view.

"What are you two doing?" Donna cried, feeling a little jealous. No, a lot jealous.

"Um, Eric was sick, I was just getting him some water," Jackie said, pointing to the half empty cup on the floor next to the bathtub.

"He looks real sick," Donna snapped sarcastically, crossing her arms and cocking a hip.

"Donna—" Eric tried, but he was cut off by Jackie, who suddenly snapped back angrily.

"You know, I'm getting real tired of your bitchy attitude towards everybody," Jackie started, taking Donna off guard, "Every time Callie's with Chris, you get bitchy, every time Callie's not in your line of sight, you get bitchy, every time I'M NOT in your line of sight, you get bitchy! Why don't you just get your big nose out of everyone's business?!"

Donna was silent, she really didn't know what to say. But she had to say something, anything. So she said the first thing that came to her mind, "You shouldn't be with Eric, it should be me!"

Then everyone was silent.

Jackie let her shoulders slump and her eyes widen as Donna dropped her arms by her sides and instantly regretted what she had just said. She looked up at Eric, who was gazing at her in shock.

"Eric—" Donna tried, but he cut her off.

"Donna… We—We can't do this," Eric said, "Not again."

"But I—" Again, he cut her off.

"No Donna," Eric said, shaking his head, "I'm over you. And you should be over me. It's been twenty two years, you have a daughter, you've been married, it's time you move on."

Eric then weaved around Jackie, still holding his arms around himself as he rushed past Donna down the hall to his bedroom, leaving the two girls in complete and utter silence.

0-0-0-0-0

Callie heard her mother yelling from down the hall as she lay next to Chris, who was awake, but facing away from her, looking at the door. Callie couldn't believe her mother. How could she so easily forget her father? Callie felt angry, but she didn't feel like arguing, not again. So she just laid there and stared at Chris's back.

His shirt had ridden up a little bit, showing his scars from several years of cutting. He told Callie about this last week, he also told he hadn't hurt himself since they met. Callie was sure he cut himself over his depression of being alone. He told her he didn't have any friends until she came along, because she's the only one who didn't see him as 'different.'

Callie slowly brought her fingers to Chris's back and ran her fingers gently along the scars. She hated that he did this to himself. She hated that he hated himself. He told her that. That he hated himself. He didn't tell her why, though.

When Callie touched his back, he arched away from her touch. He never did like people touching him, especially he wasn't warned first.

"Does it hurt?" Callie asked quietly, her gaze focused on his back.

"Does what hurt?" Chris asked a moment after.

Callie swallowed nervously before asking, "When you cut yourself."

Chris was silent for a moment, not really wanting to answer these types of questions. But he figured he had to do it at some point, and he'd rather just get it over with, "Yes."

Callie furrowed her brow, feeling anger well up inside her, "Then why do you do it?"

Chris shrugged his shoulders, still not turning to face her, "It makes me feel better."

Callie was confused. How would something like this make you feel better? "That makes no sense, Chris," She snapped, but immediately regretted it when she saw him flinch. She looked down at her hands and sighed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout."

Chris stayed silent as Callie slowly sat up, her eyes looking down at his face as he stared at the closed door on the other side of the room, not even ten feet away, "Chris?"

"Yeah?" He mumbled into his pillow.

Callie looked down at her hands in her lap and softly whispered, "Why do you hate yourself?"

Chris tensed up at this question. That was the one he was waiting to hear and it was the one he didn't want to answer.

After a moment of no response, Callie spoke again, "Chris?"

Chris sighed softly and clenched his fists nervously before he decided to sit up and face Callie, though he didn't look at her. Instead he looked at his hands in his lap, his fingers fidgeting.

"You can tell me," Callie said, raising a hand to put on his arm, but decided against that, knowing he'd reject her touch.

Chris sniffed before he spoke, "Because everybody else does."

Callie felt her heart sink at those words. How could he think that? "I don't."

Chris nodded and furrowed his brow, "I know."

"Why do you think everyone hates you?" Callie asked after a moment of deafening silence.

Chris shrugged again, "Because I'm weird."

Callie raised an eyebrow and shrugged her shoulders lightly, "So? Everyone's weird."

Chris shook his head and clenched his hands together, "No, I mean… I'm really weird. I'm different than other kids."

Callie clasped her hands together and gazed at Chris's face. He looked so sad, "What do you mean?"

Chris sniffed and spoke immediately after she did, launching into a story, "When I was eight years old, I got beat up at school by some older kids because I was 'retarded.' The teachers thought the same thing. They even talked to my mother about it. They said I didn't follow simple instructions because I claimed their rules were 'stupid,' I said mean things to other kids, as if I didn't care about their feelings, I had tantrums in class because of the LED lights and the other kids playing loudly… So, after a meeting with my mother, she took me to see a child psychiatrist. At first she thought I had severe ADHD, then it was bi-polar disorder, then schizophrenia, then autism."

Callie tilted her head a little in curiosity, "What did it end up being?"

Chris was flicking his fingers now, as if it calmed his nerves, "The woman called it Asperger Syndrome."

Callie furrowed her brow and scooted towards him in curiosity, "Well, what is it?"

Chris adjusted his shoulders, "Well, it's on the autism spectrum, but I don't think it should be. It's a little different than regular autism. She told me people with Asperger's usually have normal language development and an average IQ. But, they're also known to be socially handicapped and have limited and intense interests."

Callie smiled, "Like you and your art."

Chris smiled a little and looked up at her briefly, "Yeah."

Callie shrugged, "Well, why is this a bad thing? I don't think you're different just because you have a bit of disorder. I just thought you were a little shy, that's all. You seem pretty normal to me… Well, you know what I mean."

Chris chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, I guess."

The two then sat in silence for a moment, neither of them really knowing how to carry on with the conversation. But it was what Chris said next that made Callie smile.

"Callie?" He asked quietly, almost nervously.

"Yeah?" She said, looking up at him, his eyes cast downward.

"Can I, uh… Can I give you a hug?" Chris asked awkwardly, his face pink.

Callie smiled a wide, happy smile and nodded, "Of course, you can."

Callie opened her arms and embraced Chris, resting her hands on his upper back as he laid his chin on her shoulder. Callie noticed how awkwardly he hugged, it's as if he didn't know where to put his hands.

Callie smiled and retorted sarcastically, "Chris, if you're going to hug me, hug me."

Chris then mimicked what Callie was doing and placed his hands on her back. He had a loose hug, so Callie decided to tighten her arms around him. This was nice. This felt right.

0-0-0-0-0

Jackie walked into the kitchen about an hour or so later after showering and getting ready for the day. She was trying to avoid Donna, but there was something she had to talk to her about.

Jackie walked into the kitchen where Donna was sitting at the bar, drinking a glass of milk, still in her pajamas. Today was the day they started moving into their new apartment, but Jackie wasn't so sure about living with Donna anymore.

Jackie walked around the bar and into the kitchen, making Donna look up at her as she turned to gaze down at the sitting red head.

Donna stayed silent and looked down at her glass of milk as Jackie stood in front of her, her fists clenching and unclenching nervously.

"Listen, Donna," Jackie started, but Donna never looked up, "About earlier, it wasn't what it looked like."

Donna rolled her eyes, "Really?" She said, unbelieving, "Cause it looked like you two were about to do it right then and there."

It was really hard to keep your patience with Donna, but Jackie tried her best, "Donna, I'm telling the truth. When I woke up this morning, I checked on all of you. But when I checked on Eric he was having a nightmare and when he woke up he was sick, that's all that happened."

All of that was true. But she wasn't going to tell Donna the whole story. She'd let Eric do that himself whenever he was ready.

"Whatever Jackie, let's just move on, okay?" Donna said irritably, grabbing her cup and looking down at the milk, "Eric hates me, you hate me, let's just try to ignore each other."

Jackie rolled her eyes. Classic Donna. Pity me, pity me.

"Speaking of which," Jackie started, "It's going to be kind of hard to ignore you when we're living in the same apartment, so I've decided after helping you move into today, I'm going to go look for my own place."

Donna looked up at Jackie at that, "What? But we spent forever trying to find the right place."

Jackie crossed her arms, "Yeah, and it was hard trying to find a cheap place where three people could sleep. But I'm by myself and I don't think it will be as hard to find a cheap place for ONE person to sleep."

Donna sighed and rolled her eyes again, looking down at her drink again, "Whatever. Good riddance, anyway."

Jackie gasped in shock at that, "Good riddance? You know what, Donna? You're a class A bitch. Soak in that thought for a minute and let it sink in. Maybe then you'll realize you need to quit pitying yourself and move on with your life, because everyone around here is sick of your shit."

With that, Jackie turned and stormed out of the room and down the hall, brushing past Eric on the way by.

He looked at Donna, back at Jackie, and then back to Donna again in pure confusion, his hands sticking out in front of him as he raised an eyebrow, "What happened?"

Donna glared at Eric and Jackie and turned back around to her drink, really letting that thought soak in.

A/N – Thanks for reading guys. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. This one's a little personal with the mention of autism and Asperger's and all that. In every story I write there seems to always be a character that I write that has this disorder, and it's always unintentional that I write these characters this way. That's me putting my personality into these characters. Chris's personality is kind of based off of mine. If you ever met me in real life, I would basically be Chris. That's why I love the internet, there's no face to face confrontation to make things super awkward. If you have any questions about Asperger's, leave a question in your review or just look up the disorder online. This chapter is super important to me because of the personal issues involved, this is coming from a person who has also been depressed in the past. But don't worry, I'm very happy with where I'm at now. Again, thanks for reading, and, as always, have a good day.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N – This is a bit of a filler. I don't know if I'll write much this weekend or not. My grandfather is visiting and I'm going to spend some time with him, so I might not update too much. Ambient Space Noise – I laughed out loud at that 'well fuck you, Donna' line. Thanks for that. Also, I've decided to make the spin off story focus on Chris and Callie's life in high school, and maybe we'll see a certain couple have a kid. *Wink, wink. Marla's Lost – I've read that people cut themselves because it outweighs the emotional pain they're feeling and after a while, cutting also becomes a habit for some people and it's hard for them to stop. It's like a drug to them. Thanks for the reviews, guys. Hope you enjoy this chapter, even though it's a little short and it kind of sucks. Have a good day and see ye' next time.

Disclaimer – I'm done posting disclaimers, just read the first chapters.

May 13, 2001

A month later, Jackie had found her own place to live. She just couldn't handle living with Donna any longer. Tonight was her first night at her new place, but first, she was going to the park with Eric and the kids. Donna wasn't getting along with Eric or Jackie right now, so instead of facing two of the people she was in a tuff with, she decided to only have to see one. She asked Jackie if she could come pick up Callie and take her to the park for her, as she didn't want to deal with facing Eric today.

So Jackie obliged and came by to pick up Callie and now she was walking to the park to meet up with Eric and Chris. Callie had been going on and on about Chris in the last few days, apparently she had really gotten invested in her crush on him, but she still wasn't admitting that that's what it was.

Callie was a few steps ahead of Jackie as they neared the park, a bit of a skip in her step, which made Jackie giggle. She was always so excited to see Chris.

Callie heard Jackie laugh and turned back to look at her, an eyebrow raised, "What's so funny?"

Jackie smiled and shook her head, "Nothing."

Callie gave Jackie a look, "Jackie."

Jackie held her hands up and shook her head once more, "It's nothing, it's just…" Jackie stopped for a moment to look up at Callie before she continued, "You sure are happy this morning."

Callie rolled her eyes and turned back around to continue walking down the sidewalk, "It's not like that, Jackie."

Jackie giggled again and nodded, "Okay, sure."

"Jackie," Callie warned, pointing a threatening finger in Jackie's direction.

Jackie rolled her eyes and looked down at the girl, "Come on, Callie. I know you like him, I don't know why you're hiding it."

"I like him as a friend. That's it, okay?" Callie said as she continued towards the park, which was less than a block away.

"Okay," Jackie said sarcastically, but the antagonizing continued, "But he is kind of cute, don't you think?"

"Jackie," Callie warned once again, but Jackie noticed Callie's face turn a shade of pink, "Shut up."

"You do think he's cute," Jackie smiled brightly, "That's adorable."

"It's not adorable," Callie said, her face turning a darker shade of pink, "I'm not five, I'm a teenager now. We are way past the point of 'adorable.'"

Jackie widened her eyes, but her smile never faltered, "Sorry, little miss grown up."

Callie groaned in irritation as the two girls approached the park, "You really are annoying, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm good at," Jackie smiled as she and Jackie walked into the park, seeing Eric and Chris on a bench talking.

Jackie noticed Chris was acting awfully fidgety and Eric was smiling brightly. Maybe Eric was teasing Chris as Jackie was Callie.

"There they are. Come on," Jackie said, looking down at Callie, who was looking down at her feet in embarrassment.

Jackie rolled her eyes and put a hand on Callie's back and pushed her ahead of her gently. Jackie smiled as the two approached the boys, she smiled even wider when Eric looked up at her and smiled brighter than she's seen him smile in a long time. He must be in a good mood today.

"Hey boys," Jackie said as they stopped in front of the two.

Chris looked up at the girls and then at Callie, but immediately averted eye contact as he stood, "Callie, come on, let's go."

Chris stood and went to grab Chris's hand but hesitated and in the end decided to keep his hands to himself, making Callie just follow him to their spot up on a rock where they sat. It was a great spot, sitting there. It presented a perfect clear view of the twin towers. Chris and Callie came here every weekend and sat up there and just talked for hours.

Jackie smiled and sat next to Eric on the bench, watching the two teenagers jog across to their 'special place.'

"They like each other," Jackie said, as if it were obvious, which it very much was.

Eric nodded in agreement and smiled, crossing his arms over his chest, "That's what I was just thinking."

Jackie giggled and the two watched the teens for a moment as the climbed up on the rock and stood, looking across the water at the two giant towers. Jackie then looked to Eric and nudged him in the arm playfully, "So… How've you been? Haven't seen you for a few days."

Eric looked down at his hands and shrugged, "I'm working on it."

Jackie nodded and gave him a look of sympathy. She didn't want to depress him, as he looked like he was having a good day, but she had to ask. She was worried and curious, "You haven't been making yourself be sick, have you?"

Eric furrowed his brow and a pained look made itself present across his face, "I threw up last night. After dinner."

Jackie furrowed her brow, "Did you just throw up or did you make yourself throw up?"

"The latter," Eric said, as if he were disappointed in himself.

Jackie sighed and slinked her arm through his, pushing herself closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder, "It'll get better."

Eric scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Everybody says that."

Jackie nodded, "Yeah, well everybody's not me. I know things that other don't," Jackie said as she looked up at Eric, "And I know you'll be happy someday, Eric."

Eric smiled sadly, but hopefully as he looked over at Jackie, "Thanks for the optimism, Jackie."

She smiled and squeezed his arm as she scooted closer, the two adults focusing their attention back on the teens across the park. Callie and Chris always looked so happy together. Jackie was hoping one day Callie would admit to herself that she had a thing for Chris. She was sure Eric hoped the same thing for Chris, as well.

Jackie looked up at Eric after a moment of watching the kids. She needed to keep him distracted for as long as she could, maybe it would help, even if it was just a little bit.

"Hey Eric," She said, garnering his attention. He was so pale. Probably from lack of food and sleep, he was probably feeling very sick, "I was going to take Callie to lunch after this, do you and Chris want to tag along?"

Eric furrowed his brow and shrugged, "I don't know…"

Jackie patted his arm, "Awe Eric, I asked if you wanted to tag along to be polite, you don't actually have a choice."

Eric rolled his eyes, "I'm not hungry, Jackie, but thanks anyways."

Jackie glared at Eric and jabbed him in the chest with her finger, "No Eric, you are going to put some meat on those bones. You are not healthy living this way, not with all this stress on you. That's probably why you've been having seizures more often than you should."

"But Jackie," Eric tried again, but she cut him off once more.

"No buts Eric, you're coming," Jackie said, "You don't have to eat much, just eat a little something. For me."

Eric looked her in the eye, a sad look on his face. He really didn't want to eat, every time he did, he felt sick. Of course his stomach couldn't handle much because of what he does to himself, and it would take time to let his stomach get used to food, but he really just didn't want to eat. But that look she was giving him.

Eric sighed, "Fine."

Jackie smiled, "Good."

With that, the two looked back out at the park where the two kids were standing and enjoyed the rest of their morning at the park.

0-0-0-0-0

The group left the park about forty-five minutes later and headed to a small diner in Manhattan. Eric and Jackie were sitting inside eating and talking about just random things, Jackie paying very close attention to Eric as he ate a small plate of French fries. He had eaten about ten or eleven so far, but that was good enough for a Jackie. Baby steps, she reminded herself.

Chris and Callie were standing outside the diner, having already finished eating. They were just standing in silence, neither of them really knowing what to talk about. So Callie just looked up at Chris, examining him. He had recently gotten a haircut, which he absolutely hated. He said it was too short, but Callie kind of liked it. He said he was going to grow it out again and never cut it this short again. It wasn't really that short, but he thought it was.

The sound of a skateboard rolling across the street made Callie and Chris both look up. Callie saw a teenager, probably about Chris's age rolling down the street, a video camera in his hand as he looked around the street.

"Oh no," Chris said, looking down at his feet.

Callie looked up at Chris in curiosity and then back at the boy on the skateboard as he turned the camera on Chris, "Hey look, it's Chris."

Chris kept his eyes glued to his shoes as the boy on the skateboard approached. Callie looked up at Chris, "Chris, who's that?"

"Just ignore him," Chris ordered, not looking like he was really in the mood to deal with this kid today.

"Why?" Callie asked, but her question was answered when the kid on the skateboard suddenly stopped at the curb and hopped up onto the sidewalk.

"How's it going, retard?" The kid asked, a smug smile plastered on his ignorant face.

Callie crossed her arms and glared up at the kid, "And who are you?"

The kid looked down at Callie as he switched off his camera, "I'm Casper, and who might you be?"

Callie smiled smugly and looked this kid up and down. He was about an inch taller than Chris, probably weighed less than 140 pounds. He was wearing slightly sagging brown pants and a blue baggy t-shirt and on his head over his near shoulder length brown, greasy hair was a Yankees ball cap.

"You're a Yankees fan?" Callie asked.

The kid smiled cockily and nodded, "Hell yeah. All my life," He said as he twisted the cap around it was facing the right way.

Callie shrugged, "I've always been more of a Mets fan myself."

Shots have been fired.

Callie heard a noise from behind her and turned to see Chris holding in a chuckle, a small smirk on his face.

She turned back to the boy and saw the slightly annoyed look on his face, "Man, I was really diggin' your look, too."

Callie raised an eyebrow, "My look?"

The boy smirked, "Yeah, your look. Ye' know, your figure?"

Callie's jaw dropped at that and she almost hit him, but Chris stepped in front of her and sized the other kid up, "Back off, Casper."

Casper smiled smugly and crossed his arms, "Or what, your gonna hit me? Try me, retard. I'll whip your skinny little ass."

The mouth on this kid. Callie thought.

"Get the hell out of here, Casper, if you know what's good for you," Chris snapped, pointing his finger in the direction Casper just came from.

"Man, you ain't the boss of me," Casper snapped back, the ignorant smile never leaving his face as he looked over at Callie, "You ain't with him, are ye'?"

Callie stepped over to stand beside Chris and gave the kid called Casper a look of disgust, "I am. You got a problem with that?"

Casper smiled at her, "Nah, it's just… You could do so much better. Take me for instance," Casper said as he stepped towards her a little and giving her a wink, "I could show ye' a real good time."

Both Chris and Callie took offense to that. Chris suddenly got right in Casper's face and pushed him back a little, "Leave her alone, Casper."

Casper scoffed and threw his hands up, "Ye' wanna fight, ye' freak? Hit me, come on, I dare ye'."

"You're not worth it," Chris spat angrily, "Now leave us alone."

"A'right, fine," Casper replied, finally backing off, looking over at Callie, "Ye' know where I go. Same school as Chrissy boy here, maybe I'll see ye' 'round some time?"

Callie scoffed, "Don't wait for it."

Casper nodded, but kept the smirk on his face, "You'll come running one of these days, babe. And I'll be there."

"In your dreams," Callie snapped as she grabbed Chris's hand as he continued to glare at Casper, "Come on, Chris. Let's go."

Making sure Casper was watching, Callie stood on her tip-toes and pecked Chris on the cheek, causing him to turn a deep shade of red.

Casper frowned and rolled his eyes as he threw his skateboard down and stepped on it, "Whatever. Fuck the both of ye', I've got betta' things ta' do anyway."

Callie smirked smugly and waved as Casper started back down the street away from the two friends. After he disappeared from view, Callie turned to Chris and noticed he was still red, his fingers touching his cheek where she had just kissed him.

Callie smirked, "What's wrong, Chris? Never been kissed by a girl before?"

"No, I uh, just—It—I—" Chris stuttered over his words and Callie smiled, ruffling his hair.

"You're cute, you know that?" She then turned around and went back inside the diner where Eric and Jackie were still eating, leaving Chris shocked and little love struck, on the street.

0-0-0-0-0

"I saw how you were with him today," Callie rambled on as her and Jackie stumbled up the stairs to Donna's apartment, "You love him."

Jackie rolled her eyes at Callie's constant teasing as they walked up the final flight of stairs, "I do not love him. We're just friends. Really good friends."

Callie scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, sure. I know what you mean by 'really good friends.'"

Jackie blushed a little and looked down at Callie, "I could say the same thing for you and Chris."

It was Callie's turn to blush, "What? No, we've been over this. We're just friends."

Jackie smiled and crossed her arms, "Quit lying to me, Callie. I saw what happened on the street today."

Callie looked up at Jackie in alarm, "But… How?"

Jackie rolled her eyes, "You weren't exactly hiding. You were standing right outside the door."

Callie blushed a little and looked down at her feet, "I only did it to get that kid to go away."

Jackie nodded, "Sure, but whether you like him or not, I know he likes you."

Callie looked back up at Jackie at that, "You think so?" Callie winced how enthusiastic that sounded.

"I knew you liked him," Jackie smiled as the girls walked down the hall Donna's apartment was down.

Callie blushed a little bit and looked down at her shoes, "Fine. Maybe I do, but this stays between me and you."

"Eric knows too," Jackie said nonchalantly.

Callie sighed and put her hands over her eyes, "This is so embarrassing."

Jackie giggled and put an arm around Callie's shoulders, "No, it's not. Everybody has a crush, and besides, you and Chris are the cutest couple ever."

Callie was bright red now, "Jackie, can we not talk about this?"

Jackie rolled her eyes, "Okay, whatever. But just know this, he likes you too. A lot. Maybe you should ask him out sometime?"

Callie shrugged as they stopped in front of her door, "Maybe. And maybe you should ask Eric out, since you love him."

Callie said this as she opened her door and they were both blessed with the appearance of a very tired looking Donna, "Who loves who?"

Jackie sighed. Of course. Couldn't talk about Eric without Donna being involved in the conversation as well.

"Nobody loves nobody," Jackie said, but Callie decided to speak again, which was a bad idea.

"Jackie loves Eric," Callie said with a smile as she walked into the apartment.

"Oh," Donna sighed, looking down at her feet and crossing her arms.

Callie looked between Jackie and Donna and sensed the tension before she realized what she had just started, "Whoops."

"Callie, why don't you go to your room? Don't you have an assignment due on Monday?" Donna asked.

Callie widened her eyes and immediately dashed to her room, "Oh crap!" She cried on the way by before the room was filled with the noise of her bedroom door slamming shut.

Donna looked up at Jackie who was awkwardly standing in the doorway, wanting to leave, but she knew it wouldn't be that easy, "I should get going, I have a job interview tomorrow."

"What happened today?" Donna asked, "Is Eric doing alright?"

Jackie gazed at Donna curiously, "Yeah, he's fine. Why?"

Donna rolled her eyes and dropped her arms by her sides, "I'm not blind, Jackie. I know he's not eating."

Jackie nodded and averted Donna's gaze, "Yeah, I got him to eat a little bit today."

Donna nodded, "Good."

Then it was silent. There was always tension between the two, every time they were in a room together. Jackie really did need to get going, she had to finish unpacking so she could get to bed early so she could wake up early tomorrow morning. It's not the best idea to be cranky during a job interview.

"Donna, I really should get go—"

"What did Callie mean by all that?" Donna asked, "Do you really like Eric?"

Jackie sighed and looked down at her feet, "Donna, do we have to talk about this right now?"

Donna threw her arms up in irritation, "We have to talk about it sometime, Jackie."

Donna did have her there. They couldn't keep avoiding this forever, "I don't know, Donna. Maybe."

Donna nodded, tears in her eyes, but she tried not to release them, "I know you do."

Jackie sighed, "Okay, fine. Maybe I do! I'm sorry if you have a problem with that, but… But I can't really control my feelings, nobody can!"

Donna was staying surprisingly calm as Jackie continued, "It doesn't matter anyways, I don't think he likes me back."

Jackie was counting that moment they had the bathroom that one day a month ago, she thought that might have just been Eric taking whatever sympathy he had from somebody and just enjoying it. Those weren't his real feelings, she was sure.

But Donna disagreed, "He likes you, Jackie. He really does."

Jackie looked up at Donna, a little shocked as Donna continued, tears falling from her eyes, "I know that me and him will never get back together, he's made that clear, but I still want him to be happy. And if you make him happy, then so be it."

Jackie was shocked. She never thought Donna would accept this. She thought she'd always just deny everything that's happened, but not, she was being real mature about it now.

"Really?" Jackie asked, still not believing it.

But Donna nodded and crossed her arms, "Of course."

Jackie smiled a little bit, "Thanks, Donna."

Donna nodded and sniffled, trying not to cry. She didn't want to look like a baby in front of Jackie, "Can you just tell him that I'm really sorry if I'm the one that made him so depressed. I never wanted him to feel that way. Just tell him I'm sorry."

Jackie furrowed her brow sadly and walked over to Donna, "Donna…"

Donna let out a choked sob and finally let the tears spill freely. Jackie wrapped her arms around her friend and let her cry, "I'm sorry…"

Jackie rubbed her back and frowned, "Donna, Eric's not depressed because of you, okay? He's got a thousand other things in his life right now that stress him out, and you're not one of them."

"How do you know that?" Donna asked, her voice muffled in Jackie's shoulder.

Jackie smiled sadly and pulled away from Donna, looking up at her face, "Eric thinks fondly of you. He doesn't hate you like you think he does. He was just talking about you today, it was story about you two when you were kids."

Donna smiled sadly, "Really?"

Jackie nodded in return, "Really. He still loves you, Donna, just not in the way you want him to."

Donna nodded in understanding, "I know. Can you still tell him I'm sorry, though? I was still, as you kindly put it, a class A bitch to him."

Jackie giggled after she saw Donna smile, "Of course, just don't blame yourself."

Donna nodded, "One more thing."

"Yeah?" Jackie responded, pushing a strand of Donna's hair out of her face.

"Tell him I love him," Donna said.

Jackie nodded and smiled, "Of course."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N – Sorry it's been a while, I had a busy few days. My grandpa was visiting, so I spent some time with him, I went to a concert last night and saw my favorite band of all time, Weezer. They were awesome, as usual. They played my favorite song too, which is weird, because I heard they don't play it live often, so it must have been fate. Oh, and Panic! At the Disco was there, too, no biggie.

But here's the biggest reason I didn't post the couple of days. I found out Anton Yelchin died, and that really broke my heart. He was probably my first celebrity crush and also he's the person that really got me into watching movies. I first saw in Terminator Salvation back in 2009 when I was only eleven years old, or not even yet. After that it was Star Trek, then Charlie Bartlett, an episode of Criminal Minds, Odd Thomas, and so much more. He was a great actor and he could have gone on to do great things, more than he's already done. I cried when I found out what happened and sometimes I still can't believe he's gone. All my condolences go out to his friends and family and I hope he's happy wherever he is. RIP, my hero.

CrazyCaz – Sorry you find Callie annoying, she is only thirteen in this story, so when she gets older she will mature more. She is Donna's daughter though, so… lol.

Anyway, here's another chapter for my pretties, enjoy!

May 26, 2001

Callie snuck back into her room through her window after her curfew on a school night. She'd been sneaking out for a couple of weeks now to see Chris in the park. She was slowly working up the nerve to ask him if he wanted to go out sometime, maybe to a movie or something, since she knew a dinner date wouldn't be his style, it involved too much talking. Which he wasn't good at.

It was past nine, Callie knew that, and her curfew was at seven. She lied to her mother and told her she was doing homework and she usually left her alone after that, giving Callie enough time to go out.

But tonight, Donna caught her.

Callie opened her window and climbed clumsily back into her bedroom, her hair soaking wet from the drizzling rain outside. When her feet hit the floor and she stood up straight her bedroom light flicked on and Callie looked up, eyes wide and she caught eyes with her mother.

Shit.

Callie smiled nervously, "Hey Mom…"

"Save it, Callie," Donna snapped, her arms crossed, "Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you."

Callie sighed and slumped her shoulders, "You want the truth?"

Donna rolled her eyes, "Of course, I want the truth."

Callie shrugged and threw her backpack down on the ground, "Fine, but you're not going to like it," Callie stopped talking for a moment as she stepped over to her mother, shivering a little from being wet. She looked up at her mother and said, "I was at the park with Chris."

Donna dropped her arms by her sides and furrowed her brow, "How long have you two been meeting at the park?"

Callie shrugged, "Three weeks, maybe."

"Three weeks?!" Donna seemed shocked by this. She would have thought a week, maybe a week and a half tops, but three weeks?

"Yeah, we didn't want to tell you because we knew you'd flip a lid," Callie said, "I know you don't like me hanging out with Chris that much, so to see him more often than you know about, I've been sneaking out."

"Does Eric know about these little meetup's you've been having?" Donna asked.

Callie shrugged, "I don't think so. But that's not the point."

"No, the point is, if you want to go out, you ask permission first, got it?" Donna snapped, glaring at her daughter.

Callie threw her arms out the side and sent a glare back her mother's way, "But that's not fair! If I had asked you, you'd have said no!"

"No I wouldn't have!" Donna snapped back.

Callie nodded, "Yes you would have! I know you don't like Chris!"

Donna shook her head, "That's not true, I think Chris is a very nice boy."

Callie slumped her shoulders and crossed her arms, "Really? Then why do you always get mad with me when we're hanging out?"

Donna slumped her shoulders as well, "I don't."

Callie smiled irritably, "That's a HUGE lie! And you know it!"

"I'm not mad at you for hanging out with him," Donna said, "I don't like the fact that you, you know, like him… That way."

Callie raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Did Jackie tell you that? GOD! I told her not to! She never listens!"

"No, Callie! Jackie didn't tell me that," Donna snapped, "It's pretty obvious."

Callie rolled her eyes, "So what if I like him? Why do you have such a problem with that?"

"I just do, okay?" Donna replied.

"Why?! You've got to have a reason!" Callie cried, throwing her arms out to her sides in anger and frustration.

"No, I don't!" Donna snapped back.

"Yes, you do!" Callie shouted, "Is it because you don't want me growing up too fast? Is that it?"

Donna shook her head, "No."

"Is it because we're a couple of years apart?" Callie asked another question.

"No," Donna kept replying.

"Then what is it?" Callie was getting sick of this.

"There's no reason," Donna said.

"There has to be!" Callie was getting angrier and angrier by the second.

"Callie!" Donna cried in return.

"Mom!" Callie snapped back, "Just tell me!"

"It's because there's something wrong with him!" Donna finally yelled.

Callie was taken aback as Donna calmed down and continued, "Chris isn't good enough for you. I want somebody who can take care of you and protect you, not the other way around… Chris isn't… A strong enough person for you. Physically, mentally or emotionally."

Callie crossed her arms and glared at her mother, "For your information, Mom, Chris is strong in all of those areas. Just because he's a little smaller than most guys, doesn't mean he isn't strong. Just because he doesn't talk much, doesn't mean he's stupid. And just because he's a little more sensitive than most guys, doesn't mean he's weak. And have you ever stopped to think that maybe I can take care of myself and maybe, just maybe, Chris and I need each other."

Donna was silent as Callie ranted on, "I know I'm only thirteen years old and I probably shouldn't be thinking these things, but I think I know love when I feel it. I feel that for Chris. And I don't just love him in a romantic kind of way, but just love him as a person. Because Chris is a beautiful person," Callie was started to get upset, Donna could hear it in her voice, "He's smart, kind, funny without realizing it, and he's brave. And I really wish you could see that."

Callie stormed out of her room past her mother, tears forming in her eyes. Donna turned towards her and followed her out of her room, "Callie—"

"No Mom!" Callie cried, spinning around to face her, a stern finger pointed upwards at her, "I really wish you'd actually sit down and get to know him, because he's a really great guy. But I guess you'll never know that."

"Callie, please, just let me explain," Donna pleaded as Callie started for the door, her whole body shaking with cold.

"I don't want to hear it, you've said what you've had to say," Callie snapped, swinging the door open and looking back at her mother, "I'll be back in the morning."

"Callie—" But it was too late, Callie walked out the door and slammed it shut behind her.

The phone rang as Eric was sleeping on the couch. He had had a long day and really just wanted to sleep, so he ignored it. But it rang again. And again. After the third time, Eric decided to get up and go get it, realizing it may be something important.

Eric walked across the living room to get to the kitchen where the phone sat, his bare feet smacking against the tile floor clumsily. Eric ran a hand over his eyes to wipe the sleep from them as he picked up the phone, fumbling with it for a moment. The number on the tiny orange screen was Donna's, which made Eric furrow his brow. Why was she calling so late?

Eric pushed the answer button and held the phone up to his ear, "Hello?"

"Eric, is Callie there?!" Donna sounded frantic, her voice worried and scratchy, as if she'd been crying.

Eric furrowed his brow and shook his head, "No, she's not. Why, what happened?"

"She ran off! I tried going after her, but she's too fast! I have no idea where she went and I'm so worried!" She was starting to panic.

Eric put his hand and tried calming her down, "Okay, Donna, I need you to calm down and tell me exactly what happened. Okay?"

Eric heard Donna take a few panicked breaths and tried slowing it down, but it proved to be only slightly effective, but it was something, "Okay…"

"Okay. Now what happened?" Eric asked again, hoping to get a more informative answer.

"We got into an argument because she had snuck out," Donna said, "Her and Chris have been sneaking out late at night… She told me they've been doing that because I didn't like Chris and I might freak out and now I am and I don't know what to do…"

"Donna, Donna! Calm down," Eric said, "I'm sure she's fine."

Eric turned around and started towards Chris's room as he kept Donna on the line, "I'm going to go check Chris's room right now, okay? I'll see if she's here."

"Okay…" Eric could hear Donna's heavy breathing on the other end as he walked down the hall.

Eric could see the light on from underneath Chris's door and he could hear him rummaging around in there. Eric raised an eyebrow and pushed the door open gently and revealed, on the other side, Chris going through his clothes, trying to find a clean shirt.

"Chris?" Eric spoke, spooking the boy.

Chris jumped and yelped a little bit as he looked up at Eric, a hand on his chest, "Eric, you scared me!"

Eric ignored him and asked him, "What are you doing?"

Chris start fidgeting nervously, flicking his fingers as he always did when he was nervous, "Um, I was just, uh… I needed a—a clean shirt, because mine was uh, was dirty…"

Eric nodded, "Yeah, it doesn't look dirty, it looks wet."

"Uh…" Chris looked down at his feet, his body shaking with cold.

"You're not in trouble, just put on some warm clothes, okay? I don't want you getting sick," Eric said as he turned to leave, but not before asking, "Oh, do you know where Callie is? Donna's on the phone and she says she ran off."

Chris looked up at Eric in alarm, "What? Is she okay?"

Eric shrugged tiredly, "I don't know, that's why I'm asking you if you know where she might be."

Chris shook his head, "No, we were just at the park. We don't really go anywhere else…"

Eric nodded and went back to talking to Donna, "He doesn't know where she is, sorry."

"Oh god, Callie…" Donna was on the verge on tears once again.

"Okay, listen," Eric said as he went to the door and grabbed his shoes, "I'm going to go out and try and find her, okay? Me and Jackie take them out sometimes, maybe I can find her."

"Um, okay," Donna said, "I'll meet you at your place in ten minutes."

Eric nodded, "Okay, see you then."

Eric then hung up and put the phone down on the table by the door as he slipped his old dirty shoes on, just now realizing Chris standing behind him.

"Hey bud," Eric said as he tied his shoes.

"I'm coming with you," Chris said as he fidgeted behind Eric, staring blankly at the wall next to the door.

Eric shook his head, "No, you're not. You're staying here and getting some rest."

Chris shook his head in return, "No, I'm coming with you. I want to make sure she's okay."

Eric sighed as he stood and nodded, "There's no swaying you, is there?"

Chris shook his head again, "Uh, no."

Eric nodded and gestured for him to follow, "Okay, come on. Let's get going, wouldn't want to keep Donna waiting."

0-0-0-0-0

Jackie sat in her new apartment watching TV that night, eating a large bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Nothing was interesting on TV, really, but she had to do something. It was king of boring living by herself, but it was also kind of peaceful. She enjoyed it most of the time, but tonight was not one of those nights. So thank God somebody knocked on the door.

Jackie looked up from the TV when she heard the frantic rapping against the wood. Raising an eyebrow, she set her bowl down and stood, wrapping her bathrobe around herself as she headed for the door. It was nice having company, but it was also a little late, so she was curious as to it would be. She was sometimes nervous, though, as she was a single female living alone in New York City.

Jackie slowly opened the door and peeked out the small crack and furrowed her brow when he saw who it was. She swung the door open and looked down at the person, a look of concern and surprise on her face, "Callie? What are you doing here?" Jackie then softened her gaze when she saw the tears streaming down the young girls face, "What's wrong?"

Callie angrily wiped the tears from her face and eyes as she pushed past Jackie into her apartment, "Mom and I got into an argument."

Jackie closed the door after her and turned around to face her, crossing her arms over her chest, "About what?"

Callie gave Jackie a look after rolling her eyes, "What do you think?"

Jackie nodded, "Chris."

Callie nodded and went to sit on the couch. Jackie then noticed Callie was soaking wet, so she rushed to the closet and pulled a thick blanket down and brought it to the shaking girl. Callie took the blanket from Jackie and wrapped it around herself, but it didn't really help much, as her clothes were still soaking wet and Callie's feet were freezing.

Jackie sat down next to the girl and looked down at her curiously, "Can you tell me what happened?"

Callie kept her eyes glued to the floor in front of her as she shivered, the blanket wrapped tightly around her, "Well, Mom caught me sneaking back into my room after I had snuck out to go see Chris."

Jackie smiled teasingly, "Awe, how romantic," When she saw Callie's glare, she frowned, "But, also very bad. You shouldn't sneak out in the middle of the night."

Callie rolled her eyes and continued, "Well, me and Mom proceeded to argue about me sneaking out and then she started talking bad about Chris, saying she didn't want me being with him."

Jackie looked at Callie expectedly, "Why not? Did she say?"

Callie nodded, fresh tears fogging her vision, "She said she didn't want me being with him because there was something wrong with him."

Jackie raised her eyebrows at that. And just when she thought Donna was slowly coming back to being respectable, "What? There's nothing wrong with him, he's just… Odd."

Callie shook her head, "No, she's right. She could've phrased it differently, but, that's Mom for ye'."

Jackie furrowed her brow again in curiosity, "She's right? What do you mean?"

Callie looked up at Jackie. Maybe she shouldn't have come here after all, "That's not important."

Jackie tilted her head, "Callie."

Callie sighed and looked down at her hands before she answered Jackie's question, "About a month ago, Chris told me he has a thing called Asperger's… Do you know what that is?"

Jackie was shocked for a moment, and she really didn't know why. It was believable, he showed many symptoms, but Jackie never really thought about that, "Yeah, I'm familiar with the disorder."

"Good, so you can see how Mom's being completely unfair, right?" Callie asked expectedly.

Jackie nodded, "Yeah, totally."

Callie smiled, "Yeah, right!"

Jackie then frowned at Callie, "But you still shouldn't have run off. She's probably worried sick about you."

Callie frowned and glared at Jackie, but then slumped her shoulders and nodded, "Yeah, I know… I don't know why, but I just ran. It was like it was out of my control."

Jackie nodded, "I know. You were just upset, it's completely understandable. But don't expect not to be in trouble."

Callie nodded, "Okay…" Callie looked up at Jackie, "Do you think she's looking for me?"

Jackie nodded, "Most likely."

Callie sighed and looked down at her feet, "Can I use your phone?"

Jackie nodded at the young, naïve girl, "Of course."

Callie stood and slowly slunk over to Jackie's house phone, nervousness, anger, hurt and confusion all swirling around inside her. She didn't even know what she felt right now, it was so confusing. Callie picked up the phone and dialed her home number and waited as it rang. When nobody picked up, it confirmed that Donna had left the apartment and had started searching for Callie, so Callie left a voice mail, telling her mother where she had went if she didn't find her.

When the phone beeped, Callie left her voicemail.

0-0-0-0-0

Eric, Donna and Chris walked down the sidewalk after leaving the park, confirming that Callie hadn't gone back there. Eric had brought an umbrella with them this time, he didn't want to risk him or Donna getting sick, or Chris getting sicker.

As they walked down the sidewalk, Chris shivering the whole time, he looked up at Donna as the group stayed silent in the search for Callie.

"Miss Donna?" Chris said politely, breaking the tension and silence once and for all.

Donna looked down at the boy at her name being called and gave him a curious look, "Yes?"

Chris averted her gaze and asked, "Why did Callie run off?"

Donna tensed her shoulders as Eric gave the boy a brief look as he held the umbrella above all their heads. Donna cleared her throat before answering his question, "We got into an argument."

Chris nodded, "Was it about me?"

Donna's shoulders tensed even more, if that was even possible. She gave Chris a curious look and raised an eyebrow, "How did—"

"Callie told me you don't like me," Chris rambled on as he looked down at his feet as they continued to walk, "She's says you think I'm weird."

Donna gave the teenager a sympathetic look, "Chris, I don't hate you, okay?"

Chris furrowed his brow, "Then why don't you like it when me and Callie are together?"

Donna sighed through her nose and hesitated before answering the question, "That's... That's hard to explain."

Chris adjusted his shoulders and responded with, "I—I think me and Callie get along great… She's my first REAL friend. Most people just use me for school work or a project or something, because I get better grades than most. But… Callie doesn't care about all that. She's just my friend, because she wants to be. I've never been so happy until I was with her. She makes me forget that I'm depressed sometimes, you know?"

Donna looked down at her feet in shame. Well, that made her feel like shit.

"It's because of what I am, isn't it?" Chris asked.

Donna looked down at him in surprise as he continued, "It's because I have a disability?"

Eric turned to look at Chris and stopped walking completely. He handed the umbrella to Donna, giving her a dirty look in the process before he put his hands on Chris's shoulders, "Chris listen to me," He spoke softly, but sternly, "Don't you ever think that you are weird or different from everybody else just because you have something others can't relate to. You're not weird, you're just you. Okay?"

Chris nodded, not looking Eric in the eye, "Okay."

Eric nodded and wrapped his arms around the boy, giving him a brief hug, one that wasn't returned, and he gave him a peck on the side of his head before he pulled away. He looked down at Chris, then at Donna, then back to Chris. Eric smiled sweetly and ruffled his hair before he took the umbrella back from Donna and started walking again.

It was silent for a moment as they walked, nobody really knowing what to say. Donna kind of felt like shit now, though. She never meant to hurt Chris's feelings, but it was kind of hard not to when she said the things she said.

Chris continued walking closer to Donna than to Eric, acting as if he wanted to say something, but was too nervous to let anything out. Donna looked down at him and smiled sadly. Maybe he wasn't so bad. Maybe if she took time to get to know him, like Callie had said, maybe she'd see the real him. Donna was always one to jump to conclusions, never one to talk it out.

Maybe… Maybe when they found Callie they could all talk it out for once. Maybe Donna could try to understand this time.

"Listen Chris…" Donna started nervously, garnering the boy's attention, "I'm really sorry if I hurt your feelings, I tend to do that sometimes without really thinking about others."

Chris nodded, "Me too."

Donna smiled a little at that and continued, "Look, you don't seem like a bad kid. From what I've seen, you're polite, kind, charming… Callie's told me you're funny, sweet, thoughtful…"

Donna looked down at the kid and noticed the red hue on his cheeks, making her smile, "You're not a bad looking kid, either, so I can see what she sees in you."

"Okay, can we not talk about this anymore," Chris said, wiping his glasses of the fog that the heat form his face produced.

Donna giggled, "What I'm trying to say is, maybe you and Callie hanging out together isn't so bad. I mean, at least she's not hanging out with a bunch of drug dealing, motorbike riding, fist fighting, jackasses."

Chris smiled a little at that and continued walking, but not speaking.

"Here we are," Eric interrupted, looking up at the building before them.

Donna raised an eyebrow, "You think she'll be here?"

Eric nodded, looking the building up and down, "There's a high possibility."

Donna adjusted her shoulders nodded, "Okay then, let's go."

0-0-0-0-0

"I'm sorry, Jackie," Callie spoke after what seemed like an hour of silence.

Jackie looked up at Callie and frowned, furrowing her eyebrows in confused curiosity, "Sorry for what?"

Callie averted Jackie's gaze and instead looked down at her pale hands in her lap, "For running off, it was really immature of me."

Jackie smiled sympathetically and scooted closer to the shivering girl, wrapping a warm and gentle arm around her shoulders, "Callie, you're thirteen. You're not supposed to be mature."

Callie giggled at that, but she still felt bad. She shook her head, "I know, but… I couldn't stayed and we could've talked about it, I'm just so…"

"Hotheaded?" Jackie answered after a moment.

Callie nodded and looked up at Jackie, "Yeah, that."

Jackie shrugged, "You get that from your mother. You two aren't so different, ye' know?"

Callie nodded and smirked a little, "Yeah, I know…"

Jackie smiled and rested her head against Callie's, her arms around her, trying to warm her, "Do you want me to take you home?"

Callie sniffled and nodded after a moment, "Yes, please."

Jackie nodded and stood, going to the door where her shoes sat, but before she could even think to reach for them, someone knocked on the door.

Jackie sighed and went for the door, opening it all the way to reveal a very worried Donna, a nervous looking Chris, and a very grumpy and tired Eric.

"Hey Jackie, is Callie here?" Eric asked, wiping his eye of sleep.

Jackie looked at Eric then at Donna and Chris, then back to Eric and nodded, "Yes, she is. Come in, please."

All three of Jackie's visitors rushed in past her, Donna first. When they got into the room, Jackie closed the door behind her and looked towards the group, her arms crossed.

Donna looked down at her daughter as Callie looked up at her, "Callie…"

"Mom," Callie said, looking shocked up at her, "I'm really—"

Donna shook her head, "Are you okay?"

Callie gulped nervously and nodded, "Yes, I'm fine… I'm sorry if I worried you…" Callie said in a small voice.

Donna looked her daughter over, making sure she was one hundred percent okay, "That's okay, I'm just glad you're safe."

Callie nodded and stood slowly, the thick, soft blanket still wrapped firmly around her, "I promise I won't run off again, I was being stupid."

Donna shook her head, "I'm sorry, too… I shouldn't have said what I said. I really do like Chris, and if it's okay with you two, I'd like to take you guys out to lunch this weekend… We could all talk and, get to know each other."

Callie jerked her head up at this, her eyebrows knitted together in surprise and shock, "Really? You mean it?"

Donna smiled a little and nodded, "Yes, of course I mean it."

Callie smiled at that and stepped towards her mother, unsure of what to do though. So Donna reached out and embraced her daughter, kissing her on top of her head and whispering in her ear, "But don't think you're not grounded."

Callie giggled and nodded, "I sort of figured this would happen."

After a moment more of hugging, Callie pulled away from her mother and looked up at her. Donna smiled sadly down at Callie and wiped a stray black hair away from her eyes, kissing her on top of her head once more before letting her step back. Donna then turned to Jackie and smiled, "Thank you, for watching over her."

Jackie smiled and nodded, "Of course."

As the three adults talked about what had just happened, Callie slowly slunk over to Chris, who was standing awkwardly behind everyone. He was flicking his fingers nervously and looked at the wall over Callie's shoulder.

"Hi Chris," Callie smiled awkwardly at him as she stopped in front of him.

"Hi," He said, but that's all he said.

"I'm sorry I made Eric drag you all the way across town to find me, I'm sure you had better things to do," Callie said, frowning a little bit.

Chris then responded with, "No, I wanted to come."

Callie raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"I said I wanted to come," Chris replied.

Callie smiled a little and tilted her head to the side, "Why?"

Chris shrugged and looked down at his feet nervously, "Because I was worried about you."

Callie smiled and bent down a little bit, trying to get a glimpse of Chris's scarlet face. He was adorable. Callie thought.

"You were worried about me?" Callie smiled brightly, tightening her grip on her blanket, butterflies flying in her stomach.

Chris nodded and stayed silent.

"You're so sweet," Callie smiled as she inched closer to him.

Callie wasn't sure, but she could have swore she saw a brief smile make itself present on Chris's face. Callie then looked down at his hands that were clenching and unclenching nervously.

"Chris?" Callie started.

"Yes?"

Callie stood straight and eyed the nervous boy, "Can I ask you for something?"

"Yes," He repeated, still looking down at his mud covered shoes.

"Can you give me a hug?" Callie asked innocently and little did she know that the three adults in the room were watching the teens very closely, smiles on all of their faces.

"Yes," Chris replied once again, but remained still.

Callie let out a breath through her nose and smiled, tilting her head, "Chris, please give me a hug."

Chris nodded slightly and lifted his head as he stepped over to Callie. He held his arms out and she walked into them quickly, not hesitating at all. This was the first time Chris had ever willingly given her a hug, so she had to savor this moment, as it was very rare. Chris wrapped his arms awkwardly around Callie, and his hands hovered, as if he didn't know what to do with them.

As Callie rested her head on his chest and smiled, she said, "Just rest them on my back, Chris."

He did just that, but his touch was as light as a feather, but Callie still felt safe here. Despite Chris's clothes being just as wet as Callie's, he still felt warm, and that comforted her. She wrapped her smaller arms around his waist and hugged him tight and she felt him rest his head on top of hers, as if he were finally comfortable.

Jackie, Eric and Donna all smiled at the heartwarming moment between the kids. Maybe Donna should give him a chance, he did seem to make Callie really happy.

And that was all Donna wanted, was for Callie to be happy.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N – Sorry it's been a while, and I'm sorry if this chapter doesn't make up for it. I've been having a tough time writing lately and I don't know why. Thank you Marla's Lost for the nice review. Hope you guys enjoy this next chapter.

June 25, 2001

It was near the middle of summer when Donna was nearly finished moving everything into the record store that she was going to manage. Jackie had decided to pitch in and help her, as did Eric. Jackie originally was going to help with the record store, but after the falling out everybody had, she decided against it. Instead she found a job at local salon, which she enjoyed very much.

Donna was inside getting stuff set up as Eric and Jackie hauled in boxes full of records. Eric was surprised that people even bought vinyl's anymore, with all the different formats that had come out. The compact disk and Napster had taken vinyl sales down in recent years, so Eric was surprised Hyde's shop still even got business.

Jackie had been watching Eric closely the last couple of months, making sure he was eating properly and hadn't resumed cutting himself. He did seem a little happier since him and Jackie taking the kids to the park every weekend, so they could talk. Jackie usually got his mind off of things and liked to make him laugh, it made her feel better.

Eric was still weak because of the lack of food though and had to stop carrying boxes every once in a while to take a break. Jackie knew he was letting food settle more than he used to, but he still made himself sick some days, and she was sure today was one of those days.

Eric had just set a box down on the curb and was hunched over, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, his arms shaking.

Jackie frowned and set her box down as well and stepped over to him, placing a gentle hand on his back and rubbing small, soothing circles, "Are you okay? This is the third time today."

Eric nodded and drew in heavy breaths, "Yeah… I'm fine…" He said between gasps for air.

This only made Jackie frown harder and raise a concerned eyebrow, "Are you sure?"

Eric nodded and shakily stood up straight, looking down at Jackie, a forced smile on his face, "Yeah, I'm sure."

Jackie nodded, though her frown remained as she slowly drew her hand away from him, curious concern etched across her face as she watched him carefully. Eric inhaled a sharp breath before he lifted the box he had just set on the curb a moment before and carried it into the record store.

Jackie watched him until he disappeared into the store before she picked up a box as well and carried it in after him.

The group continued this same task over and over for the next hour or so, Eric stopping several more times and the girls taking turns asking him if he was alright. He always lied and told them he was and continued on with his task at hand. After a while longer, the three finally finished and they all sat inside and rested.

They were all sweating and panting, the heat from the sun really draining them. They all just sat for a few minutes, taking swigs of water and trying to stop sweating. Jackie eyed Eric and noticed he was trembling and pale, she was starting to get very worried about him.

She was broken of her thoughts when Donna spoke, "I've got to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back."

Jackie and Eric both nodded in acknowledgment as she stood and went to the back room where the restroom was. Jackie then turned her attention back to Eric who was wiping the sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt.

"You gonna make it?" Jackie teased with a smile.

Eric scoffed and nodded, "Yeah, I'll think I'll live."

Jackie smiled as Eric put his hand down on the table, his arm shaking in fatigue. His shirt was drenched with sweat and his hair was near soaking wet. Jackie didn't know why, but it made it look kind of hot. You know, minus the smell.

Eric had recently told her he'd been eating regularly and keeping himself from being sick, but she knew that was a lie. If he had he would've of gained a little bit of weight by now, and he totally hasn't.

"Eric?" Jackie said suddenly, making him look up at her with his charming hazel colored eyes.

"Yes?" He spoke, his voice tired, but soft.

Jackie looked at his trembling hand on the table and instinctively reached out and grabbed it, trying to keep it still. Eric looked down at their entwined hands and blushed a little, adding a little color to his face.

"Are you feeling okay?" Jackie asked, squeezing his hand a little.

Eric jerked his head up to meet Jackie's eyes and nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

Jackie shrugged and looked down at their hands, "Well, you've taken a dozen breaks today, which is more than mine and Donna's combined. And you're shaking… I was just worried, is all."

Eric nodded and averted her gaze, "Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just a little tired, that's all… I couldn't sleep last night, that's probably it."

Jackie wasn't buying it, but she didn't want to argue with him today, so she dropped it, "Well, okay. Just wanted to make sure you weren't coming down with a cold or anything."

Eric smirked and shook his head, "No, I assure you, I'm fine."

Jackie nodded, "Okay, good…" She trailed off and thought about her next question, trying to decide if she really wanted to ask it or not. She decided to ask him, thinking now is as good as ever, "So, if you're feeling well enough now, do you think you'd be okay later to come by my place for dinner?"

Eric shrugged and nodded, debating it for a moment in his head before answering, "Yeah sure, what time so I can tell Chris?"

Jackie shook her head, "No, I meant like… Just us…" Now she was nervous and blushing, averting his gaze.

Eric raised an eyebrow, then widened his eyes, then blushed, "Oh! Um… Well, uh…"

Jackie scrunched her shoulders in an awkward way and started rambling, "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. I mean, I don't want you to be uncomfortable or… You know—"

"Yes," Eric cut her off.

Jackie furrowed her brow curiously, "Yes what?"

Eric rolled his eyes and smiled at Jackie, "Yes, I'll come by and have dinner with you."

Jackie blushed a little harder and smiled, scrunching her shoulders in a girly manner, "Okay then, it's a…"

When she didn't finish, Eric spoke for her, "Date."

Jackie smiled and blushed even harder, if that was even possible, "Yes. It's a date."

Eric smiled back at her just as Donna walked into the room and in on the two. She saw them holding hands and raised an eyebrow, "What's going on?"

Jackie and Eric both looked up at Donna then down at their hands before pulling away from each other and sitting as far away as possible, "Nothing, Eric was just, uh, he was just trembling and I was making sure he was, uh, he was okay…" Jackie stuttered nervously.

Eric nodded in agreement, "Yes, that's, uh, that's exactly what she was doing, she wasn't asking me—"

Before he could finish that sentence, Jackie kicked him lightly under the table, causing him to jump and shut his mouth.

Donna eyed the two suspiciously and smiled, rolling her eyes, "Okay," she giggled before sitting back down across from Jackie.

Jackie smiled and cautiously glanced at Eric who smiled right back.

0-0-0-0-0

Jackie didn't know why, but she was super nervous about having dinner with Eric tonight. If this wasn't a 'date' as they had both so lovingly called it, then she wouldn't be this nervous right now. But because it WAS a date, she had so many nervous butterflies flying around in her stomach right now.

He would be here any minute now, and knowing Eric, he was probably just as nervous as she was, if not more.

Jackie examined herself in the mirror, making sure she looked good. She wasn't overdressed, she was just wearing a simple black dress that came to right above the knees and she had her hair pinned up. Regularly, she'd think she looked fine, but tonight she felt something was missing.

She had no time anyway, as a certain someone knocked on the door.

Jackie whipped her head around to look down the short hallway before she turned back to the mirror and examined herself one final time.

"Okay Jackie," She said nervously to herself, "You can do this."

She's never been this nervous on a date before, maybe that was a sign. A sign she may have found the one.

Jackie turned off the light in the bathroom and walked down the hall and to the front door. She stood in front of it for a moment, hesitant to answer, but she finally worked up the nerve. She grabbed the door handle and gently swung the door open, revealing a nervous, but very handsome Eric.

He wasn't wearing anything too formal, but he was wearing a blazer and a tie, which meant he must have put as much thought into this as Jackie had. Eric was nervous, Jackie could tell, but he wouldn't be Eric if he wasn't.

Jackie smiled up at him sweetly, "You look nice."

Eric blushed a little and looked down at himself, smiling awkwardly, "Thanks. And you look… Wow…"

Jackie blushed as he had and giggled in girly glee, "Thank you," She smiled before looking down at the flowers he held in his hand. Red roses, her favorite, "Are those for me?"

Eric looked down at the flowers and nodded, "Yes, they are."

He handed them to Jackie and she took them into her small hands and smiled, "Thank you, that was very thoughtful of you. I can't believe you remembered these were my favorites."

Eric smiled and shrugged, blushing, "Well, you know… I'm a good listener."

Jackie giggled and stepped back and out of the way, "Come in."

Eric smiled nervously and stepped past Jackie into her small apartment. It was nice and cozy. It was a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment with a small kitchen area and decent sized living room. It had a view of the street outside, but at least it wasn't Eric's great view of a brick wall.

"I didn't really get to look around last time I was here," Eric said, looking around the room before looking at Jackie with a smile, "It's nice."

"Thank you," Jackie said, a nervous smile on her face as it became silent.

Neither of them knew how to carry on a conversation with each other, it seemed. Date pressure.

"This is weird," Jackie said, giggling a little bit.

Eric frowned and cocked an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Jackie scrunched her shoulders and shrugged, "This. Us. To think we hated each other as kids, and now, here we are. On a date."

Eric smirked and tilted his head, "I didn't hate you," He started smugly, "I just had a very strong dislike of you."

Jackie laughed at that. Eric's heart skipped a beat when he saw her smile. It was so bright and pretty. Like her.

"You never lost that Forman charm," Jackie smiled as she turned towards the kitchen to set her flowers on the counter as Eric followed her.

After a moment of silence, Jackie turned back towards Eric and smiled at him. He was already at the table, pulling out a chair for her, "My lady."

Jackie suppressed a giggle and stepped over to the table, sitting down in the chair Eric had pulled out for her, "And you're a gentleman. I don't know why I never gave you a chance in high school."

Eric shuffled around the table and sat down across from Jackie, smirking, "Well, you know… They say things happen for a reason."

Jackie smiled and nodded, completely agreeing with that statement, "You're right. Maybe this is the start of something great."

Eric blushed a little and averted eye contact, "Maybe it is."

He was so cute. Jackie thought to herself.

And so the date commenced. After a minute, they both eased up and just started talking about random things that have happened recently and also about things of their past. Even though there was still a nervous tension in the room, they both had a good time.

The dinner lasted about twenty minutes, but they just talked to each other for over an hour. But it was in the middle of a story, and a funny one at that, that the phone decided to ring.

Jackie and Eric both peered up and over into the small kitchen where the phone was before Jackie groaned irritably, "Ugh. I'm sorry, let me just go check and see who it is."

Eric nodded, "It's no problem."

Jackie got from her seat and went into the kitchen only to return a moment later with the phone in her hand, her eyes wide, "It's your mother."

Eric raised his eyebrows, "My mother calls you?"

"We talk all the time! I did live in point place pretty much my whole life!" Jackie snapped.

Eric held up his hands defensively, "Sorry…"

"What should I do?" Jackie questioned.

"Answer it," Eric suggested, shrugging his shoulders loosely.

"Are you sure?" Jackie asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

Eric nodded, "Yeah, just don't tell her I'm here."

Jackie nodded and released a nervous sigh through her nose before she answered the phone and held it up to her ear, "Hello?"

"Jackie? Are you okay? It took you a while to answer?" Kitty asked, concern in her voice.

Jackie nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just washing dishes and I didn't hear the phone, that's all."

"Oh, well okay," Kitty said, completely buying into the lie before she started asking Jackie how's she's been and what New York was like.

Eric sat and waited patiently as Jackie urgently tried to ending the call, but Kitty kept on talking, which made Eric smile a little.

Jackie was just about the say her goodbyes when Kitty brought up one more thing, "Oh, I forgot to tell you! Guess what I found in the attic today?"

Jackie paced impatiently, "What?"

"Eric's little bear he had as a baby," It was like Jackie could hear the smile in Kitty's voice, "I've been looking for that for so long… Almost as long as I've been looking for Eric."

Jackie pursed her lips and let her face fall to that of a sympathetic and sad one, "Mrs. Forman?"

She heard the older woman sniffle on the other line, "I'm fine, I was just thinking… I've been thinking a lot since I found that little teddy bear. I've been wondering if my baby's okay, and where he's at, and if he's happy. I just want to see him again… I just want to hold like I did when he was little."

Jackie furrowed her brow sadly, "I'm sure he's fine, Mrs. Forman."

Eric looked up at this. Where they talking about him? His father? Eric knew is father was in poor health as of recent.

"But how do you know that?" Kitty pleaded, "What if… What if something horrible has happened to him? What if he's sick? Or, or—"

"Mrs. Forman, calm down," Jackie tried, "I know Eric is okay. And so do you. Wherever he is, he's fine."

Eric looked down at his lap and closed his eyes, his eyes beginning to water. He was starting to feel like crap again. The guilt was starting to overwhelm him.

"Okay, thanks for calling," Jackie said, a sad smile on her face, "Alright then, bye."

Jackie then hung up and looked over to Eric, who was looking up at her sadly. Jackie frowned and walked back over to the table and sat across from Eric, "You need to go see them."

Eric nodded, "I know, I just don't know… How."

Jackie looked into his sad puppy dog eyes and realized it was becoming hard to be stern with him, "It doesn't matter how you do it, Eric. As long as you go down and see them. That's all they want."

Eric nodded and looked back down at his hands in his lap, "I know, it's just… How do I even explain myself?"

Jackie shrugged, "Tell them… Tell them you were scared."

Eric raised an eyebrow, "Scared?"

Jackie nodded, "Yeah, scared of what they might think if they found out you were sick. I mean, that is a real reason, you told me so yourself."

Eric tilted his head, "Yeah, I guess."

"You could also say that… You couldn't leave because you had Chris, and you can't leave Chris by himself for long," Jackie suggested.

"But Chris is fine by himself," Eric pointed out, fiddling his fingers.

"But they don't need to know that," Jackie said.

Eric shook his head, "No, I don't want to lie to them. I'll just tell them the truth."

Jackie raised an eyebrow, "Which is?"

Eric sighed, "That I am sick and I can't drive all the way to Wisconsin on my own. And that I couldn't go home because I didn't want to see Donna."

Jackie nodded, "And?"

Eric sighed and looked down at his lap once more, "And that I'm a coward… I'm a coward because I couldn't stand to look my parents in the eyes and tell them the whole truth."

Jackie smirked sadly and reached across the small table, grabbing Eric's arm, "Eric?"

He looked up at her, his eyes sad, "Yeah?"

"I know you can do this," Jackie smiled, giving Eric a little confidence.

Eric smirked a little bit and scoffed, "Thanks Jackie, but… There's still a problem."

Jackie tilted her head and cast Eric a quizzical look, "And that is?"

Eric looked up at Jackie, "That I can't drive all the way to Wisconsin by myself."

Jackie smiled smugly. Uh-oh, "Who said anything about going by yourself?"

A/N – Okay, I don't know what Jackie's favorite flower is and I'm sure she's mentioned it in the series somewhere, I just can't remember. So, sorry if I got that wrong. Until next time.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N – Whew, this is a long one. Maybe this will make up for my long absence. I actually do have a good reason for not updating, though. My mom had to take me to the hospital the other day, but don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds. I was having trouble breathing and I've had this problem in the past, but this is the worst problem I've ever had. She decided to take me after I nearly fainted in the kitchen. The doctor's told me that I have sinus congestion, chronic cough, and moderate anxiety. Which makes sense. I start my senior year in September and I've already started studying for my SAT, and on top of that I'm going to Ohio for a wedding in September and then me and my family are going on a road trip in December, a week before Christmas, and I've been trying to write as well, but it's been a little hard. I'm taking two types of medicine now, and my cough is improving and I haven't had an anxiety attack since I've been to the hospital, so that's good. But they also told me I could have an early form of asthma, so I've got that to look forward to in my future.

Anyway, sorry for blabbering, onto your reviews. Marla's Lost – I'm using the Eric can't drive excuse just so him and Jackie can spend a little more time together, alone. At least for a little while. Thanks for your review!

AmbientSpaceNoise – Jackie's birthday is on September 24, 1961, and Eric's is March 5, 1960, which makes Jackie nearly forty and Eric forty-one, or so the That 70's Show Wiki says. As usual, your review has made me beam with joy. Keep up the nice reviews, I love them so!

Alright guys, strap in, because this chapter is full of drama!

June 28, 2001

It was only three days later the Jackie and Eric were packed and ready to head off to Point Place. It took two of those three days to really convince Eric into going, but he eventually caved. Jackie could tell he was excited to see his family, but he was also very nervous. He was nervous as to how they'd all react to his sudden appearance for the first time in 22 years, he was most nervous about his father's reaction, though. He'd probably be angry at him and call him a dumbass or something. Kitty was most definitely going to cry and hug him for at least twenty minutes.

"Are you ready?" Jackie asked, her hand light on his arm.

Eric looked down at her and smiled nervously, "Yep."

Jackie nodded and looked over at Donna, who stood on the sidewalk next to Jackie's recently purchased car, a small smile on her face. She was proud of Eric for finally realizing he needed to go see his parents. It was the right thing to do.

"Keep an eye on Chris, okay?" Eric said, stepping up onto the sidewalk with her.

Donna nodded, her arms crossed, "Don't worry, Eric. I don't really see Chris as a trouble maker."

Eric adjusted his shoulders and raised his eyebrows, "You'd be surprised."

Donna scoffed and kicked her foot as Jackie joined them on the sidewalk, "You guys be careful, okay? And be nice to your sister, Eric."

Eric nodded and rolled his eyes, "I'll be sure to."

Jackie could feel the tension surrounding the three. Jackie knew Donna was still a little uncomfortable with Jackie and Eric having had a date and having feelings for each other, but she was slowly coming around.

Eric looked up at the building he lived in, "Are they both still in Chris's room?"

Donna looked up at the building along with him and nodded, "Yeah… They're still mad at you guys for not taking you with them. They really wanted to go."

Eric nodded, "Yeah, I know. I just think I need some time with my parents alone. I don't want to be worrying about a couple of kids while I'm there, you know?"

Donna nodded, "Yeah, but I'm sure they'll be fine. They would have forgotten this whole thing by the time you guys get back."

Eric nodded, "You're right," He said as he looked back down at Donna. After a moment of silence, Eric spoke again, "Well, uh, we should get going."

Donna nodded in agreement, "Yeah, of course."

"Okay," Eric then awkwardly stepped towards her and gave her a friendly hug, "We'll be back on Monday."

Eric felt Donna nod into his shoulder, "Okay."

After a moment, Eric pulled away from Donna and stepped back, giving the two girls space. Jackie then stepped forward and gave Donna a quick hug, "Tell the kids we're sorry they couldn't come."

"I will," Donna replied as Jackie pulled away and stepped back to stand next to Eric.

"We'll see you Monday, Donna," Jackie said as she started walking around the car to the driver's seat.

"Okay," Donna replied as Eric got into the passenger seat.

"Oh, remind Chris that there's some leftover pasta in the fridge," Eric said, "And tell him I left him some money for pizza if wanted some this weekend."

Donna crossed her arms and nodded again, "I will."

Eric then closed his door as Jackie opened hers, "Have fun with the kids this weekend," She said as she got into the car and closed the door.

"I will," Donna said to herself as Jackie started the car. Donna then stepped back and watched as the car pulled out onto the road, Eric waving to her with a goofy smile on his face, making Donna giggle.

She stood on the sidewalk and watched the car drive until in disappeared around the corner at the end of the street before she turned around and went back inside to check on the kids.

0-0-0-0-0

"Do you really think Donna's going to be okay with the kids all weekend?" Eric asked, sounding unsure.

Jackie smiled and rolled her eyes. It was cute how concerned he was, "I'm sure she'll be fine, Eric."

Eric fidgeted nervously and nodded, "Yeah, you're probably right…"

Jackie glanced over at him as she drove, a sweet smile gracing her lips. He looked so nervous, all the stress of this trip really starting to wear him down. She wanted to give him a hug, tell him it'd all be fine soon, but she'd have to wait to do that later. Jackie was sure this trip to see his parents would give him a new mindset, maybe it would relieve some of his stress. This was a major thing in his life that he needed to take care of and just maybe seeing his family again would give him a little bit of happiness in his life. Jackie knows he needed it.

The two of them just sat in silence for the next hour or so, listening to the radio. Eric got extremely excited when Weezer came on the radio and he cranked the volume up to really make sure he could hear Say It Ain't So.

Jackie smiled when she saw the smile on his face as he sang along to one of his favorite bands at the moment. He looked a little happier now, but that could also be because he was a little tired. He hadn't slept much the night before, his nerves really getting to him.

After the song ended and another one began, Eric turned the radio down and leaned back in his seat. Jackie glanced at him briefly before asking, "I'm guessing you really like that song?"

Eric smirked and nodded, "Yeah… I went to see them back in '95. They put on a pretty good show."

Jackie smiled and nodded, biting her bottom lip, "Yeah, I went to see Radiohead in 1996. I love them."

Eric raised an eyebrow and cast Jackie an odd look, "Radiohead? You like Radiohead?"

Jackie furrowed her brow in confusion, "Yeah. Why? What's wrong with Radiohead?"

Eric shook his head, "Nothing, I love them. I just didn't really see you listening to rock music."

Jackie rolled her eyes, "I still jam to pop music, too. I have every single one of Janet Jackson's albums."

Eric nodded, "Oh, okay. Well, that makes more sense."

Jackie gaped, but smiled as well, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Eric smiled and laughed a little, holding his hands up defensively, "Nothing, nothing…" After a moment of Eric's soft laughter, it was silent again.

Jackie, a sweet smile still on her face, looked down at the clock. It was nearly two. They probably wouldn't be in Point Place until late tonight. They'd have to stay in a hotel overnight and go see Eric's parents in the morning.

After a few more minutes of silence, Jackie looked over at Eric again. He had his head leaned into his shoulder, his eyes falling heavy. Jackie smiled at how cute he looked when he was sleeping, or nearly, anyway.

It was only a moment later that Jackie heard soft snores coming from him that made her smile even more. She was glad he was asleep, he needed some rest.

Jackie just continued to drive as Eric snored gently next to her, his arms crossed comfortably. Jackie just focused on the road and Eric's gentle breathing as she listened to the radio.

Jackie drove for about a half an hour more before she felt a sudden weight on her shoulder. Jackie raised an eyebrow and quickly glanced down to see what it was and felt her heart melt. Eric had slumped over and apparently slipped out of his seat, because his head was now resting on Jackie shoulder.

Jackie looked back at the road ahead of her and smiled. Eric's weight on her shoulder made it a little harder to drive, but she was just going straight anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem. She'll just wait to wake him after she's gotten off the highway.

Right now, she'd just let him sleep comfortably against her.

0-0-0-0-0

It was about two hours or so later when Jackie pulled onto the exit. As the car slowed down considerably, Jackie saw a stop sign several yards ahead. As she slowly pulled the car to a stop and waited for the cars to pass, she looked down at Eric, who was still soundly sleeping against her shoulder.

She had to wake him, she couldn't make this turn with him sitting like this.

Jackie placed her hand on his side and shook him gently, frowning when she could feel his ribs. He still hadn't gained any weight? Jackie furrowed her brow in concern and shook him again, but softer. It was still so thin, that must be why he's been layering his clothes lately, to appear heavier. It was nearly July and he was wearing a sweater.

"Eric…" Jackie said softly, nudging him again, earning a quiet groan from him and slight movement, "Eric," She tried again, "I have to drive, you have to move."

Eric cracked his eyes open, his arm still crossed over his chest. He peered around, looking at his surroundings and realized he was lying again Jackie, making his blush a little.

"Oh, sorry," Eric said, sitting up slowly.

Jackie smiled a little, but concern still dawned on her, "I didn't want to wake you, you looked comfortable."

Eric smiled sweetly, "Like I've said before, you're a comfortable pillow."

Jackie giggled, "I try."

Then, as Jackie turned onto the road, making a right, she cast a glance at Eric, "I'm getting a little snacky, I'm going to stop at a gas station and pick up some snacks."

Eric nodded, "Okay."

Jackie glanced at him, looking for a response, but she didn't get anything. He seemed okay with it, although she hadn't asked him if he wanted anything. Maybe he thought she just meant for herself.

It was quiet the rest of the way to the gas station, neither of them needing to say anything. Jackie parked up in front of the small building and put the car in park, turning it off before she looked over at Eric, "You want anything."

Then she got the reaction she was looking for. Eric grimaced and shook his head, "No, I'm not hungry."

Jackie sighed in disapproval, "What about a drink, want one of those?"

Eric looked down at the cup holders between them, noticing his drink was nearly empty, "Yeah, a Coke, maybe?"

Jackie nodded, "Okay, I'll be back."

Eric nodded as Jackie got out of the car, carrying her purse with her. Eric watched her as she waltzed up to the door of the gas station, and he couldn't help but look at her body. How had she stayed so fit over the years? Eric felt the heat rise to his face when an inappropriate image popped into his head and he shook his head to clear it out of his mind.

Eric resorted to looking out the window and people watching as he waited for Jackie to come back. It only took her a minute to get what she needed and pay for her stuff before she came prancing back out the door, a bag full of goodies in her hand.

Eric sat patiently for her to get into the car and when she did he looked right over at her, always happy to see her face, "I know you didn't want anything, but I had to get you something, so… Here you go," Jackie handed Eric a Snickers bar and saw him smile.

"You know I love Snickers," He said, sounding a tad like a little kid.

Jackie giggled but immediately frowned when she saw how much Eric was sweating, "Eric, you know it's almost 90 degrees out, right?"

Eric nodded as he opened his candy bar, "Yeah… Why?"

Jackie rolled her eyes, "Eric, you're sweating like a pig…" Jackie sighed, looking him up and down, "Are you wearing a shirt underneath that?"

Eric nodded, "A t-shirt, yeah."

Jackie put the bag full of goodies down and gave Eric a look, holding her hands out, "Give me you sweater."

Eric frowned, "No, I'm fine, Jackie."

Jackie rolled her eyes again and shook her head, "Eric, hand it over."

Eric was about to protest, but when he saw the stubborn look on her face he decided it was best not to argue with her. Eric nodded and frowned, but took his sweater off. Jackie winced a little when his t-shirt rid up a little bit and she saw his old scars, but she gently shook it off and waited for him to hand her his sweater.

When it was finally in her hands she looked up at Eric. He was paler than he was before and trembling slightly, he looked thinner than before, too.

"Eric," Jackie said, her voice shaky, "When's the last time you threw up?"

Eric adjusted his shirt, but when he heard her question, he looked down at his hands in shame, "Early this morning."

Jackie frowned harder and sighed, messing with his sweater in her hands, "Eric… You know you can't keep going on like this."

Eric nodded, "I know," He said, still not looking up at Jackie as he played with his fingers.

"If you lose too much weight, I'm going to have to take you to the hospital," Jackie threatened.

At this, Eric looked up at her, his eyes sad, "No, Jackie. Please don't do that."

"Then start eating and keeping it on your stomach," Jackie said, "Stop forcing your body to do something it doesn't want to do…"

Eric shook his head, "It's harder than you think."

Jackie furrowed her eyebrows, "Why do you do it to yourself?"

Eric shrugged, trying not to let his emotions get to him, "I don't know… I guess I just don't feel comfortable with myself."

Jackie raised an eyebrow at this, "Why not?"

Eric shrugged once more, "I don't know."

Jackie sighed and looked down at Eric's sweater before she threw it into the back seat. She looked back over at Eric, who just looked broken. Jackie reached forward and grabbed his arms, forcing him to turn towards her, "Eric, look at me," When he didn't do what she asked, she grabbed his chin and forced his head towards hers, "Look at me."

Eric looked into her eyes, his own watery with unshed tears. Jackie noticed he was pinching himself on the leg, a stem so he didn't cry.

"Eric, there is no need to feel uncomfortable with yourself," Jackie said, "It doesn't matter what other people think of you, it only matters what you think of yourself. And you need to know that you are a handsome, smart and very kind individual who always knows how to make everyone else's day a little brighter. Do you understand me?"

Eric nodded a little, avoiding her stare, "Yes."

Jackie looked at him for a moment longer before she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek quickly, pulling away a moment later and seeing the tears falling from his eyes. Jackie gently wiped them away with her thumb before she slid her hands down to his shoulders. It was then that Jackie noticed his shirt was a little wet with sweat.

"I'm going to go get you a new shirt out of the trunk," Jackie said, pulling away from Eric, "After that, we're going to blast Weezer as loud as you'd like the rest of the way to Wisconsin."

That made Eric smile a little as Jackie got out of the car.

"I'm not kidding," Jackie said, reaching for her CD case and throwing a couple of CD's his way, "I've got Blue and Pinkerton. Pick which one you want to listen to first, I'll be right back."

Jackie closed the door after seeing the smile light up Eric's face before she walked around to the back of the car. She grabbed her keys and unlocked the trunk before opening it and what she saw made her angry and worried.

"Eric!" She called loudly, making Eric jump.

Eric placed the two CD's in his lap aside before he jumped up and out of his seat and got out of the car before he ran around to face Jackie, "What?!"

Jackie pointed towards the trunk, an angry scowl on her face. Eric followed her finger to where she was pointing and he immediately felt the same emotions she felt right then.

"Callie?! Chris?!" Eric cried in anger, glaring at the two sweating teenagers in the trunk of Jackie's car, "What the hell are you two doing?!"

Callie immediately retorted with, "We're hitching a ride to Wisconsin, what's it look like?"

Eric huffed and ran a hand across his eyes in frustration as Jackie spoke, "I'm surprised you two haven't had a damn heat stroke, it's like 90 degrees out here!"

"Yeah, we know," Callie said as she and Chris started climbing out of the trunk, "We were so hot we almost resorted to taking our clothes off."

Jackie and Eric both gave Callie an incredulous and annoyed look as the two teens finally stood in front of them.

Callie looked up at them, brushing herself off, "What?! I'm kidding! Jeez, lighten up would ye'? I'm just kidding around, right Chris?"

Chris jerked his head up and looked over at Callie before he looked up at Jackie and Eric, "Huh? Oh, yeah… She's kidding. She is. I wasn't. I was totally digging that plan."

Jackie and Eric both glared at Chris as Callie giggled. Chris smiled and gave the two adults amused looks, "I'm taking classes in sarcasm from Callie, if you couldn't tell."

"Oh, we can tell," Jackie said, "And I liked it better when you were unassuming and aloof."

Chris gave Jackie a look, "What's that supposed to mean."

"Oh, never mind!" Jackie cried loudly, "How did you two even—You know what? I don't even want to know how you snuck back here without anyone noticing, I don't. Really."

Callie nodded, "You're right, you probably don't. We did some highly illegal stuff to get in there. Highly. Illegal."

Eric glared at the two kids before pointing to the car, "Get in the car and shut your mouths!"

Callie and Chris both flinched, looked at each other, made a face, then walked around the two adults in front of them.

"Yes sir," Callie said, mocking a salute as Chris tagged along behind her, a smile on his face the whole time.

As the two got in the car, Jackie looked up at Eric, her face still angry, as was his, "How—"

She didn't even know what to say, and neither did Eric, as he just shrugged and mumbled to himself. Jackie shook her head and huffed irritably as she leaned forward and started jumbling through all of their bags, looking for a new shirt for Eric.

After a moment of rustling through everything, Jackie pulled out a grey t-shirt and handed it to Eric, "Here, put this on."

Eric nodded and peeled off his currently sweat stained shirt and tossed it to Jackie as she tossed him a new shirt. He quickly put that on as Jackie stuffed his dirty shirt into his bag and zipped it up. When she looked back at him, his new shirt was on and wrinkle free.

"All good now?" Jackie asked, her voice still gritty with frustration.

Eric nodded, "Yep."

Jackie nodded, "Good."

She then closed the trunk, locked it and the two both went back around to their sides of the car and got in. After the doors were closed they both looked back at the two kids in the back who were currently rifling through the bag full of goods that Jackie had just bought.

"Are you two proud of what you've done?" Eric asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"No," Chris immediately responded, but it didn't sound genuine, "But it sure was fun breaking and entering."

Eric rolled his eyes as Callie said, "It wasn't breaking and entering, Chris."

Chris tilted his head, "We broke into this car and we entered it, I'd call that breaking and entering. Ooh! Slim jims!"

Eric and Jackie looked at each other and then back at the teens, "We're taking you back," Eric said as Jackie started the car.

Chris and Callie both looked up at Eric, their faces completely changed from happy go lucky to disappointed and sad, "What? No, you can't take us back, I've always wanted to go on a road trip," Chris said.

Callie nodded, "Yeah, come on, don't take us back. I just want to go home again, I kind of miss that tiny town."

Eric shook his head, "No, we're taking you back and that's final."

"But Eric," Chris protested, but Eric cut him off.

"Chris, don't choose right now to talk back to me, I'm really upset with you," Eric snapped.

Chris frowned and furrowed his brow sadly, "You are?"

Eric tried not to let that tone of voice get to him as he glared back at his adopted son, "Yes, Chris! What should I feel? Happy? Proud that you ran away from home without even telling your mother where you were going?!"

Chris then glared at Eric and tossed the bag he was holding over to Callie, "Like she'd even notice I was gone!"

Both Callie and Jackie looked up at this, a little taken off guard by his tone and choice of words. Eric hardened his gaze at Chris, "Of course she'd notice, she's your mother and she loves you."

Chris grimaced angrily, "Does she really? 'Cause last time I checked, when you love somebody, you don't constantly abuse them!"

Chris then threw the car door open and jumped out, storming away from the car. Callie and Jackie looked at each other and then at Eric as he jumped out of the vehicle and ran to catch up with Chris.

"Chris! Chris, come back!" Eric called after him.

Chris clenched his fists and continued walking, trying his best not to look back at Eric.

"Chris! Please, look at me!" Eric called again.

Chris clenched his fists so hard that time he was surprised he wasn't bleeding. He spun around and glared up at Eric, "What?!"

Eric flinched at his tone. He hasn't seen Chris this angry in years. Not since he lashed out at school and beat up another student for constantly picking on him.

"Chris… What happened? Did she hit you again?" Eric asked, his voice softer now, sympathetic.

Chris shook his head, "No, she didn't hit me. She was just being a bitch, as usual."

Eric looked down at the boy, Chris's face stern, "What did she say, bud?"

Chris glared at Eric, "Don't call me that, I'm not six!"

Eric flinched again. Jeez, what was getting to him?

"Chris? Please tell me what's wrong," Eric begged, wanting to know so badly how he could help.

Chris shook his head, "Why? So you can make fun of me, too?"

Eric released a breath and gazed at the teenager sympathetically, "What? No, I'd never do that to you… Tell me what's bothering you, I want to help."

Chris was trying his best to keep his face stern and hard, not wanting to show emotion, but he knew he would fail in the end anyway. Chris's bottom lip trembled and his face softened slightly, but his fists were still clenched, his hands shaking as he looked down and away from Eric, "She called me a pathetic excuse for a son…"

Eric strained to him, which prompted him to say, "Sorry?"

Chris looked up at Eric again, tears flooding his eyes, "She called me a pathetic excuse for a son."

Eric's look had softened completely now and his shoulders slumped, "Oh… Chris, you know she didn't mean that, she was probably drunk or something."

Chris shook his head, "Nope. She had only had two beers and she hadn't had any drugs yet. She was sober."

Eric didn't know what to say to that. What did you say to that?

"We got into an argument and I told her she needed to try to clean up her act, stop taking heroin and slow down on the booze… Somewhere during this argument, things got heated and she just started screaming. Screaming things I'm guessing she'd had pent up for years and never said and it all just came out in the same sentence. She just didn't stop talking."

"Chris…" Eric tried, but the boy kept talking.

"At first, I tried telling myself that what she said wasn't true, or that I was just dreaming it all, but I knew… I knew she was speaking her mind. Truthfully," Chris said, his face still showing anger, but more sadness now than before, "I just couldn't convince myself that it was all a lie."

Eric gazed at him sympathetically, no words coming to mind that he could possibly say that would make Chris feel better.

"What's wrong with me?" Chris asked suddenly, his eyes locking with Eric's, which was a rare occurrence, "Why does she hate me?"

Eric opened his mouth to speak, but Chris rambled on.

"Is it because I have Asperger's? Is it because I have anger issues? Is it because I can't make friends? Does she just hate me because I'm me? Why does she hate me?!" Chris begged for answers, answers Eric couldn't give him.

Eric then grabbed Chris's arms as Chris let his head fall, sobs racking his body as tears fell from his eyes, "Chris, there is nothing wrong with you. I don't know why your mother yells at you, hits you, and calls you names and says awful things. That's just the way she is. But I need you to understand that just because your mother doesn't show you love doesn't mean that nobody else doesn't love you. Everybody in that car over there loves you for who you are, and no disorder or social handicap is going to change that. Jackie loves you, Callie loves you, Donna back home loves you…" Eric said, grabbing Chris's chin and lifting his head so he could look at his face, "And I love you, so much. Never forget that. Do you understand me?"

Chris nodded, and closed his eyes, trying to stop crying, "I'm sorry I upset you."

Eric grimaced and immediately pulled Chris into his arms, hugging the boy tight, even though he knew the boy hated it. Chris didn't move to put his arms around Eric, he just buried his head in his chest and sobbed as Eric rubbed his back soothingly, "I'm not mad," Eric said softly.

"I'm sorry…" Chris repeated as Eric continued to hold him.

This lasted another minute or so before Chris's sobs started slowing down and his eyes were no longer producing tears. After another minute of trying to calm the boy down, Eric pulled away from him and looked down at his face, "Chris."

Chris looked up at Eric, his face red from crying and his eyes wet from tears.

"I love you," He said, his hands on his shoulders.

Chris nodded, "I love you, too."

Eric smiled a little and hugged the boy again. It was a quick hug, but a sweet one none the less. The two pulled away from each other a moment later.

"Come on, let's get back to the car," Eric said, ruffling the kid's hair, "Don't want to leave the ladies waiting too long."

Chris smirked and nodded, following Eric back to the car. Eric got back into the passenger seat and Chris sat in the back with Callie, closing the door behind him.

Jackie was looking back at Chris now, her hands on the back of her seat, "Chris?"

He looked up, wiping his eyes, "Yeah?"

Jackie smiled sweetly, "You're a sweet kid, and I love you."

Chris smiled and nodded before he turned to Callie when she put her hand on top of his. Her face was sweet and caring, "I love you, too."

Chris could feel the tears stinging his eyes again as he smiled a little wider, "I love you, too."

Callie smiled back at him and scooted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder, her hand gripping his lovingly. It took Chris a moment to respond to this action, but he eventually rested his head against hers and gripped her fingers in his hand gently.

Eric and Jackie smiled back at the two before they looked at each other, saying a thousand words with just that one look. Jackie turned back towards the steering wheel as Eric put his seat belt on, Jackie putting the car in drive before she pulled out of the gas station and got back on the road for Point Place, Wisconsin.

0-0-0-0-0

Hours later, after dark, the group of four arrived in Point Place, but it was near midnight and they decided that Red and Kitty wouldn't be up this late, so they decided to rent a room for the night. Jackie pulled into the small hotel parking lot at around eleven-thirty that night as Eric looked back at the kids in the backseat. Chris had fallen asleep about an hour ago, his head resting on Callie's shoulder, his hand in hers.

Callie was smiling sweetly as she looked down at their entwined hands. That put a smile on Eric's face, "Hey Callie?" He whispered, garnering her attention, "Can you wake Chris? Tell him we're here."

Callie nodded gently with a small smile before she turned to look down at Chris's head resting against her. She put her hand on his upper arm and shook him gently, "Chris. Wake up, we're here."

Chris mumbled something incoherent as his eyes slowly opened. He sat up a little and looked around before he turned to face Callie, "We're here already?"

Callie rolled her eyes, "We've been driving for nearly twelve hours, what do you mean 'we're here already?'"

Chris shrugged, "Just seemed like that right question."

Callie snickered as Eric's voice broke through, "Hey Callie?"

The girl looked up at Eric, a small smile on her face, "Yeah?"

Eric looked out the windshield, "When we get up to our room, I want you to call your mother, tell her where you are and that you're okay. Alright?"

Callie furrowed her brow, "You think she's still up?"

Eric nodded, "Of course. Knowing your mother, she'd be up for days until she knew where you were and that were safe."

Callie smirked warmly and nodded, "You're probably right."

"I know I am," Eric said quietly before he looked over at Jackie, "Ready?"

Jackie nodded through a yawn, "Yeah… I'm beat."

Eric nodded, "Yeah, me too."

Jackie gave Eric a look, "What do you mean by that? You've slept all day, I'm the one that drove."

Eric shrugged, "I must have slept so much, I'm tired from sleeping so much."

Jackie scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Get out and help me with the bags."

Eric smiled and nodded, "Yes ma'am."

The two then got out of the car, followed by the two teenagers and they all helped out with the luggage. It took them about ten minutes or so to get their bags, rent a room, get a key and go upstairs and get settled in. After they put everything down, Chris and Callie immediately got ready for bed.

"We're pooped out," Callie said before she yawned and stretched her arms over her head before she looked up at Eric and Jackie, "You guys don't mind if me and Chris share a bed do you?"

Jackie rolled her eyes, "Why does it matter? We're all in the same room, it's not you two are going to do anything."

Callie nodded and shrugged, "Good point."

A few minutes later, Chris and Callie had their shoes off and were in bed and out like a light. A few minutes behind them were Jackie and Eric. The lights were out, the pajamas were on and they were all in bed sleeping in under fifteen minutes.

There were two full size beds in the room, there was about six feet between them, and about fifteen feet from the bed Eric and Jackie were using was the bathroom. Eric kept looking at it, since he was closest to it.

The group had stopped earlier and got McDonald's to hold them over for the rest of the night. Jackie already said they were going to stop at the small diner across the street in the morning for breakfast. But Eric didn't care about that right now, he felt like he needed to be sick. It was like an urge, if he didn't do it he'd be paranoid for the rest of the night. It comforted him somehow.

Eric released a breath through his nose before he looked over his shoulder at Jackie, whose eyes were closed and her breathing was even. She was asleep, or so he thought.

As he made a move to get out of bed, one foot out in the open, he felt a hand grab his arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jackie asked, but she already knew the answer.

"Jackie…" Eric said quietly, "I have to go to the bathroom."

Jackie shook her head, "No, you don't."

Eric furrowed his brow sadly, "Jackie, please. Let me go."

Jackie shook her head and opened her eyes, gazing at the back of his head, "No, Eric. You don't have to go to the bathroom. I know exactly what you're doing."

Eric closed his eyes and sighed, "Jackie, please. I have to do this."

Jackie shook her head again, "No, you don't. You don't have to. Just stay here with me, please? I don't want you to go and do that to yourself. Please stay."

Eric tried getting up again, but Jackie's arm snaked around his middle and pulled him close to her. He felt her head rest against his upper back as her warm arm comforted him, her small hand laying across his stomach, "Don't go."

Eric frowned, "Jackie…"

"Eric," She warned, tightening her grip on him, "I won't let you. I won't let you hurt yourself anymore."

Eric sighed and sat there stiffly for a moment, but soon loosened up and leaned into her touch, giving up. There was no point in rebelling, it wouldn't work. She was so stubborn she'd stay up all night, no matter how tired she was, just to make sure he didn't force himself to be sick.

Jackie calmed down a little when she felt Eric relax and lean into her, "Fine, I'll stay."

Jackie smiled sweetly and grasped a fistful of his shirt in her hand gently, "Thank you."

Then it was quiet. Jackie kept her eyes open until Eric fell asleep, his soft snoring being a signal. She had to keep him from hurting himself for as long as she could. The longer he went without doing that to himself, the less he would need it for comfort.

Jackie swore to herself to protect him for as long as she could. She wouldn't let him be horrible to himself. Not anymore.

A/N – Hope you liked it, I was taking some risks here. I hope you all enjoyed. But I've got something to tell ye'! I've got the plot for the sequel for this. I've decided to make it about the OC's in this story, AKA, Callie and Chris, but I'm not going to reveal too much, it might spoil it. I just thought I should tell you that I've got a plot figured out and I'm super stoked. I hope you enjoy that when I start writing it. Anyway, until next time. Have a nice day! (Or night).


	15. Chapter 15

A/N – I know, it's been forever. I'm so sorry, I've had writers block. I won't give up on this story, don't worry, I love you guys too much to let you down. Maybe this chapter will make you guys happy, it's my longest chapter so far.

Thanks for the reviews, Marla's Lost and TieDyeJackson, they made me smile.

Anyways, onto the next chapter.

June 29, 2001

It was early the next morning when Jackie opened her eyes. It was brighter in the room, meaning the sun was out, so it wasn't too, too early. Jackie looked over at the alarm clock on the table between the beds. 7:00 A.M. It was still a little too early for Jackie though.

She sighed and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, thinking back to the previous night when she was begging Eric to stay with her. She had wondered if he actually stayed, she wondered if he wasn't just lying and he still got up to go be sick.

Jackie looked over to her right and looked at the bed on the other side of the room. Callie and Chris were both laying facing each other, their hands barely touching. Jackie smiled at how sweet they looked. She then decided to see if Eric was still next to her, and she was surprised she hadn't noticed him before.

She was laying on her back and she felt some weight on her stomach. Jackie looked down at saw Eric's head laying on her belly, his eyes closed as he breathed in and out softly. He had his arm thrown across her waist and his hand was gripping the side of her shirt gently. Jackie smiled down at him as she slowly lifted her hand and pushed it into his hair. It was if she couldn't help herself.

He was dreaming about something, as he held an odd expression. He looked almost fearful, but he wasn't talking in his sleep or even moving that much, so at least it wasn't as bad as Jackie's seen before, like the day she found out he was depressed.

When Eric gripped Jackie's shirt a little tighter and moved a little closer, she smiled and moved her hands down to his shoulders, his very frail shoulders. She needed to get some food in him and make sure he kept it in his stomach.

Jackie gently nudged Eric, attempting to wake him, but he stayed in the same position, "Eric," Jackie whispered in his ear, making Eric groan sleepily, "Rise and shine, sleepy head," She giggled as Eric slowly opened his eyes.

It took Eric a moment to come out of his sleepy trance and realize where he was. Point Place, Wisconsin. He widened his eyes a little at the realization that he was here to see his family before he really realized where he was. He was laying on Jackie, in quite a compromising position.

Eric blushed a little when he realized where his head was laying, but he figured she didn't feel any embarrassment over it since she had her arms around his shoulders. But no matter how much Eric wanted to lay there with her, he had to get up. He had to get ready so he could go to his old childhood home and see his parents and Laurie.

"Good morning," He heard Jackie say quietly.

Eric looked up at her and smiled softly, "'Morning…"

Jackie moved away from him and gave him some room as he slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes of sleep. Jackie sat behind him and tried not to look at the scars at his waist where his shirt had rid up just a bit. It was hard to look at them and not feel instantly saddened.

Jackie peeled her eyes away from them and looked at Eric, who was running his fingers through his shaggy hair, "You were dreaming again."

Eric looked over at Jackie briefly and furrowed his brow, "Yeah… I've been having some weird dreams lately. It's like… Something bad is going to happen…"

Jackie shrugged, "They're probably just dreams."

Eric nodded, trying to believe her, "Yeah, probably…" He then looked over towards the bathroom, "I might as well shower so we can get going."

Jackie nodded in agreement, but kept a watchful eye on him. He looked sickly. If he didn't start eating soon he'd be hospitalized, that's how bad it was getting. Jackie was starting to worry about him all the time, with him or not. Like, what would happen if he just collapsed and no one was there to help him? What would happen? Would he be okay?

As Eric went to get up, Jackie grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him back into bed, "Eric."

He turned to look at her curiously, his brow furrowed. He looked adorable, Jackie thought.

"I better hear water running," Jackie said, "I'm going to come check on you in two minutes, and if you're not behind the curtain and instead you're puking your guts out, I'm going to kick your skinny little ass."

Eric smiled and nodded, "Duly noted."

Jackie smiled and patted him on the back, "Good, now go," Jackie released his shirt and let him get up, "We should be at your parent's house by at least noon."

Eric nodded in agreement before he went to his bag and pulled out clean clothes before he disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. After a second, Jackie heard the shower kick on and smiled to herself, but she was still going to check on him in a second, make sure he was actually in the shower.

Apparently the shower kicking on disturbed Callie, because she groaned and rolled onto her back, rubbing her eyes irritably.

Jackie smiled and peered over at her, "Good morning."

Callie cracked an eye open and peered up at Jackie through her fingers and grumbled something incoherent.

Jackie giggled, "Sleep well?"

Callie shook her head, "Chris kicks in his sleep."

Jackie giggled once again and looked over at the two. Chris was awake now too, but he was still curled up next to Callie, rubbing his eyes.

Callie looked over at him and smiled a little though, instantly forgiving him for his sleeping habits, "But it's hard to stay mad at a face like that."

Chris looked over at Callie and smiled sleepily before he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling as Callie sat up and stretched. Jackie smiled at the two and snickered. They were so cute. Then Jackie remembered something.

"Um, Callie?" Jackie said, her expression completely changed.

Callie looked over at her curiously, her arms stretched over her head, "Yeah?"

"Did you ever get around to calling your mother last night?" Jackie asked, nervous for Callie.

Callie's eyes widened and she instantly hopped out of bed, barely escaping the wrath of the blankets twisted around her ankles, "Oh crap!" She cried as she grabbed the phone on the table between the two beds, "I was so tired I completely forgot!"

Jackie gazed at her nervously, as did Chris. They both watched as Callie dialed her mother's number quickly and held it up to her ear, waiting anxiously for her to answer.

Jackie looked over at Chris before standing, "I'm going to go see if Eric needs a towel, I think he forgot one," Jackie lied, not wanting to fill the kids on with what was going on with Eric.

Chris nodded and sat up, shaking his head and stretching, "Do I have to call my Mom, too?" He asked, his voice low. He didn't really want to call her, she was being a bitch before he left.

Jackie gazed at the boy sympathetically before smiling sadly and shaking her head, "No. She deserves to worry just a little bit longer. I'm sure Donna will tell her eventually."

Chris smiled at that and nodded, "Thanks Jackie."

Jackie nodded, "No problem," She said before she went to the bathroom door and knocked, but she didn't receive an answer. She checked the door, seeing if it was locked. It wasn't. Jackie covered her eyes with her hand and opened the door, stepping in just a tad, "Are you in the shower?"

It took a moment for Eric to respond, but he did eventually, "Yes."

Jackie took her hand away from her eyes, just to make sure he wasn't lying. He was behind the curtain, thank God. This could have been a lot more awkward, but at least he wasn't puking his guts out.

"Okay, just checking," She said before she left the bathroom and closed the door behind her, but she stayed right outside the door, making sure he wasn't being sneaky.

It took a few minutes before Eric turned the shower off and got out, Jackie still sat right outside the door. After a moment, Eric opened the door, wearing a pair of baggy jeans, but he was shirtless, and still a little wet. Jackie averted his gaze and cleared her throat, feeling a blush rise up her neck.

"Did you, uh, forget something?" Jackie asked, standing straight and fiddling with her shirt.

Eric nodded, "Yeah, can you get me a shirt?" Jackie could hear the smile in his voice. Was he teasing her? How dare he. That was her job.

Jackie nodded and turned to go back into the room where the beds were, going over to Eric's bag and searching through it for a clean shirt. After a moment, she pulled out a black and white striped t-shirt and went back into the bathroom to hand it to Eric.

"Here ye' go," She said awkwardly, stuffing the shirt into his empty hand.

"Thanks Jackie," Eric smiled, drying his hair with the towel.

Jackie nodded, still not looking at him directly, "No problem."

With that, she turned and went back into the room to see if Callie was off the phone with her mother yet. Jackie was trying to compose herself, make herself not look so flushed.

When she entered the room, her face still pink, but not as bright as it was before, she saw Callie standing next to the table, the phone still up to her ear.

"Yes, I know. Okay—" Callie was trying to speak, but apparently Donna was scolding her pretty sternly. Jackie smirked a little and watched as Callie tried to get a word in, "Yes—I'm sorry… Okay. Yes, I'm safe… I'm with Eric and Jackie… Yes, he's here too… Tell his Mom not to worry… Okay… I'm really sorry… I know I am… Okay… I'll see you Monday… I love you, too… Bye…"

Callie hung up and bit her bottom lip nervously before she turned to face Jackie, her face red with embarrassment of being yelled at over the phone.

Callie smiled a fake smile and scrunched her shoulders nervously, "She's pretty mad... She told me I'm grounded for two months with no TV or Game Boy, so… I've got that to look forward to."

Jackie smirked and tilted her head, "You brought this on yourself."

Callie nodded and sat on the edge of the bed in front of Chris, "Yeah, I know…" Callie looked back at Chris and they smiled at each other, "But it was worth it."

Jackie watched the two for a moment longer, a warm smile lit up her face. How were they NOT together, yet?

As that thought popped into her head, Eric walked into the room, his hair slightly dried and his t-shirt sagging over his shoulders heavily. Jackie smiled softly as he entered the room and peered up at him. He looked so nervous. It was cute.

Jackie turned to look back at the kid's, her arms still crossed, "Come on, guys. Get dressed. We need to get breakfast before we go to Red and Kitty's place."

Callie and Chris both nodded and jumped out of bed, going straight to their small bags. There probably wasn't enough clothes in there for the whole weekend, they only packed a small bag each. Probably so it was easier for them to sneak out.

Jackie turned back to Eric as the kid's rifled through their stuff, letting her arms fall down by her sides, "Hungry?"

Eric looked down at his feet, a nervous smile on his face, "You know I'm not, but I'm going to have to eat anyway, so…"

Jackie nodded and rubbed his arm smoothly, "Just eat a little bit, okay?" She whispered so only he could hear her.

Eric looked up into her eyes and nodded, "Okay."

0-0-0-0-0

The group of four went to breakfast across the street at the small diner not even ten minutes later. They all got waffles with a side of hash browns, but Jackie and Eric shared. Eric ate some hash browns and a couple pieces of waffle, but that was good enough for Jackie. At least he ate something, right? She knew he felt ill after he ate, he always did. It would just take him some time to get used to putting food on his stomach and every other day Jackie would just have to make sure he was eating a little bit more than before. Eventually he'd be back to eating a full plate.

After they all ate and finished their meals, they cleaned up and got in the car and started for Red and Kitty's. The whole ride was almost completely silent, it wasn't till the end of the ride someone eventually spoke.

Eric kept fiddling with his fingernails and tapping his feet. This was probably the most nervous he's ever been. I mean, what do you say to your family you haven't seen in over two decades?

They were turning onto the street that he had lived on all those years ago before he spoke, looking up and over at Jackie.

"What do you think they'll say?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed anxiously.

Jackie bit her lip and shrugged a little, "Your Mom will probably cry and hug you for eternity. Your Dad will probably do something similar."

Eric scoffed, "Will that something similar be him putting his foot up my ass?" He chuckled nervously.

Jackie grimaced, "I don't think he can stretch his leg up that far anymore."

Eric chuckled along with Jackie as the continued down the street. Eric's street. He looked out the window at the houses. They all looked the same, just with some modern day touches. He saw some children playing outside in a water sprinkler, their father running after them, a big smile on his face. He also saw an elderly couple sitting on their front porch. Their names were Ginger and Harrison Goldblum and they've lived in that house for as long as Eric could remember. They were in their late sixties, early seventies when Eric was a teenager, so they had to be in their nineties by now.

Eric looked back towards the windshield, checking to see if they were almost there. He could see his house, it was just a few more houses up. Eric swallowed nervously and looked around a little more, his stomach just full of anxious butterflies.

Eric could hear Callie talking to Chris in the backseat. She was telling him about the neighborhood and what went on. She was telling him things like what it was like living in a small town rather than a big city, and about Red, Kitty, and Laurie.

Eric started to feel the car turn into the driveway. He felt his heart leap out on nervousness as he gulped again. What was he going to say? What were they going to say? He felt dizzy. He was sure he was going to pass out. Oh no. What if he had a seizure? He had been quite stressed lately. That'd sure be a hell of an entrance. 'Hey Mom, Dad, how's it going? Oh, don't mind me, just going to convulse violently on the ground for a minute or so, don't worry, it happens all the time.' Maybe he was thinking too much? Yeah, he probably was. He had a tendency to do that.

Jackie put the car in park and turned to look at Eric, "They're not in the kitchen. They're probably in the living room feeding Laurie. She likes to watch TV while she eats her breakfast."

Eric looked over at Jackie anxiously, gripping his hands together, both of them as white as they could possibly get, "How bad is it? Laurie's condition, I mean."

Jackie bit her bottom lip and gazed deeply into Eric's hazel eyes, "She basically can't function. Your mother feeds her, clothes her, bathes her. Laurie can't even speak, not well anyway."

Eric looked down at his hands, tears forming in his eyes, "Can she still, like, think properly. I mean, her thoughts aren't all jumbled are they?"

Jackie shook her head, "No, she can still process information, she just can't put all of it into words."

Eric nodded and sniffled, "Okay…"

Jackie gazed at Eric sympathetically. He was trying his hardest to keep himself together. She couldn't imagine all the stress this whole thing had on him, Jackie was just hoping this went as planned and things would clear themselves up after this. Maybe this would offer a bit of comfort in his life.

Jackie looked down at Eric's fidgeting hands and instinctively reached out and grabbed one. She wrapped her fingers around his and squeezed gently before looking back up into his eyes, "Everything's going to be okay, I promise."

Eric looked down at their entwined hands before he smiled up at Jackie and nodded gently, "I know."

"I know you two are having a moment, but… It's a little hot back here, so could we get a move on already?" Callie asked suddenly, breaking a little bit of the tension in the car. Eric was actually kind of glad she spoke, it distracted him a little bit.

"Of course," Jackie said before turning back to Eric, "Are you ready?"

Eric sighed nervously and nodded, shaking a little, "Yeah."

Jackie smiled sweetly at him before she pulled her hand away from his and opened the door on her side. Eric sat there for a moment longer as the kids got out as well. This was it. This was the moment. Eric didn't think he'd feel so sick when this moment came. How nervous was too nervous?

Eric sighed once more before he grabbed the handle of the car door tightly and swung it open. He shakily got out of the passenger seat and stood outside under the hot summer sun. It was a nice day today, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Perfect day to crash back into your family's lives.

"Come on," Jackie said gently to Eric, putting her hand on his shoulder faintly.

Eric looked down at Jackie and back at the kids, who were hanging behind a little. Eric closed the door and turned to follow Jackie around the house to the front door. It seemed like the longest walk ever. The further they walked, the further the door got, it seemed.

The group of four finally made it to the front porch, but Chris hung back a little behind Callie, deciding not to get in Eric's way of his family reunion. Eric stood beside Jackie on the front porch, but back out of view from the doorway.

Jackie stood in front of the door and looked over at Eric, her finger hovering just over the doorbell, "Ready?"

Eric nodded and looked down at his feet anxiously, "It's now or never, right?"

Jackie smiled warmly before she tore her eyes away from his and sucked in a sharp breath. She exhaled slowly as she rang the doorbell and stepped back from the door, waiting for an answer. Eric could feel his heart racing, butterflies were flying around in his stomach. Luckily he had eaten light, or else he would have vomited all over his shoes by now out of pure nervousness.

He could hear footsteps from behind the door and the sound of voices, but he couldn't make out what was being said. The footsteps drew nearer and before he knew it the door was open.

"Jackie!" Kitty's voice overwhelmed Eric's ears and he could feel the tears in his eyes at the sound of it.

"Hey, Mrs. Forman," Jackie said a little too loudly, her wide smile nervous as she fiddled with her hands.

Eric was out of view from the door, so Kitty hadn't seen him yet, "What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be in New York," Kitty then looked over Jackie's shoulder and saw Callie, then a smile overtook her face, "Callie! How nice to see you!"

Callie beamed and waved, "Hi, Kitty!"

Kitty smiled down at the girl and noticed the boy standing slightly behind her, looking around nervously, scratching the back of his head, "Who's your little friend?"

Callie looked over at Chris and then back at Kitty, "Oh, this is Chris. He's my friend from New York. Jackie said he could come along," Callie lied.

Kitty smiled knowingly and pursed her lips, "I see."

"Mrs. Forman," Jackie interjected suddenly, making Kitty flinch and look up at her. Kitty noticed her odd behavior, which prompted her to ask.

"What's bothering you, sweetie?" Kitty asked, suddenly worried, "Are you feeling alright? You don't look so good. Why don't you come inside and I'll get you something to drink."

Kitty reached out and grabbed Jackie's arms, starting to pull her inside, but Jackie resisted, "Actually, Mrs. Forman, there's something I need to tell you."

Kitty looked at the girl concerned, "What is it, dear?"

Jackie pursed her lips and sighed through her nose, "Well, you know how you asked for me to bring you something back from New York? You know, just a little knick-knack of some sort?"

Kitty swatted her hands in a downward motion and scoffed, "Is that what's bothering you? That's okay, Jackie. You didn't need to bring me anything. I don't need some silly little gift shop ornament."

Jackie flashed a nervous smile and scrunched her shoulders, "Well, you see, I did actually bring you something, but it's a lot more than a 'silly little gift shop ornament.'"

This caused Kitty to raise her eyebrows in alarm, "Jackie. You didn't buy me anything expensive did you? You didn't have to do that!"

Jackie shook her head and grabbed Kitty's smaller hands in hers, "No, Mrs. Forman… Listen. This gift you're about to receive could quite possibly change your life."

Kitty was becoming worried now, "Jackie? I don't understand."

Jackie sighed again and pulled her hands out of Kitty's, "Just… Let me show you."

With that, Jackie grabbed Eric's arm and gently pulled him into Kitty's line of sight. After this happened, Kitty's jaw immediately dropped and her eyes went wide. She didn't know what to say, she was in complete shock. The tears formed in her eyes as Eric lifted his hand and smiled very nervously.

"Hi Mom," He said it very quietly, his voice cracking with emotion.

Kitty fanned at her eyes as tears started to fall. She was trying to speak, but nothing seemed to be able to form. The only thing she said was his name, and it almost didn't even sound like it. Soon enough, she had her arms wrapped around her son and she was sobbing, very loudly.

Eric wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly as Jackie stepped back away from the two and let them have their moment. Jackie was crying now, too, this entire thing really getting to her. The thing she was nervous about was what was going to happen after the initial shock wore off. What would be said?

As Kitty and Eric cried against each other, Jackie saw, over Kitty's shoulder, Red Forman hobbling to the door, curious as to what all the commotion was about. He had his cane in his hand as he supported his left side with it. The stroke he had had really taken a toll on him. He barely had control of his left side, he could only hold his cane lightly and his foot dragged across the ground hopelessly.

Red looked up to see what was going on and his jaw dropped as well, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"Eric?" He said, sounding smaller than Jackie's ever heard him before.

Eric pulled away from his mother a little bit and looked up to see his father. Eric smiled happily, tears running down his face, "Hi Dad."

Red quickly hobbled over to his son and looked at him in surprise. It was as if he was checking to make sure it was really Eric. Red then smiled as tears formed in his eyes as well, "Eric!" He cried happily before he wrapped his arms around his son and wife.

Jackie giggled giddily and watched on, her hands clasped under her chin and her shoulders scrunched in glee. This was the sweetest thing she's ever seen.

And Eric was worried Red would call him a dumbass. He was in for a shock when he finds out just how worried Red was about him over the years. That's all Red seemed to talk about when Jackie would visit. He was always wondering what Eric was doing, if he had a nice steady career, if he was married, if he had kids.

Jackie and the kids stood back out of the way for several more minutes as the family continued to embrace. They hugged for at least five more minutes, none of them moving a single inch.

After that five minutes was over, they all pulled away from each other and just studied each other.

Kitty's hair was dyed blonde, but you could see her age in her face. She had wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and around her chin and neck. But her eyes still glowed with happiness. But overall, she looked good for a woman nearing her seventies.

Red was hunched over, he was supporting most of his weight on his cane. His hair, or what was left of it, was as white as snow, but he hadn't changed in the face all that much. He looked alright for seventy three.

Kitty and Red both examined Eric, both of them seeming concerned when they noticed how skinny he was. It was Jackie that made him wear a single t-shirt, and it just sort of hung over his shoulders loosely.

"Come inside, all of you," Kitty said, grabbing Eric's hands and pulling him in through the door, "I've made breakfast, how's that sound?"

Eric smiled and nodded, "Sounds great," He wasn't hungry, but he didn't want to worry her, not with him just getting here.

With that, everybody went into the house and followed Kitty into the kitchen.

0-0-0-0-0

After Kitty and Red got done hovering over Eric, hugging him and pestering him, they finally got calmed down and everybody was sat at the table.

Eric had also said hello to Laurie. He tried not to cry when he talked to her. She barely showed emotion, it was as if she was unable to. Her whole body was paralyzed, she could only move her fingers on her right hand a tad and she could twitch her lip and raise an eyebrow, but other than that, there wasn't much else she could do.

Eric was hoping she'd call him name or something, but she was incapable of speech, just like Jackie had told him.

"So this is what a home cooked meal looks like?" Chris suddenly said as Kitty placed a plate on the table in front of him. Waffles, sausage, scrambled eggs and the sorts.

Kitty giggled and sat down next to Red before looking up at Eric and smiling sweetly, "There's so much I want to ask you."

Eric smiled back at his mother and father, "Ask away. Ask me anything."

Kitty nodded, "Okay, first things first… Who's this?"

She was referring to Chris, who already had a mouthful of food in his trap. Eric smiled, "This is Chris, he's uh…" Eric looked for the right word to use, not sure if he should tell them what Chris is to him, "He's… He's my son… My adopted son," He put emphasis on the word 'adopted.'

Kitty and Red both looked at each other, wide eyed and then smiled, "Oh my gosh, we're grandparents!" Kitty smiled and laughed her signature laugh, which made Eric smile wider.

Eric looked over at Chris who was smiling at him for considering him his son.

"How old are you, Chris?" Kitty asked, looking over at him, a smile still gracing her lips.

Chris looked over at Kitty, but avoided eye contact, "Fifteen."

Kitty smiled at him, "You're tall for fifteen. I remember when Eric was your age he was Callie's height."

Chris smiled and looked at Eric, "Really?"

Eric nodded, "Yeah, I guess I'm what they call a 'late bloomer.'"

Chris chuckled as Kitty looked back at Eric, "What've you been doing all these years? Tell us everything. I want to know every last detail."

That's when Eric went into a long and winding story about what he did when he returned from Africa. About him living in Chicago for a little while, which they already knew about, and then when he moved to New York. He told them about his friends that he lived with for a very long time and then about how he moved in with Chris and his mother. Then he told them about what's happened recently, how Jackie, Donna and Hyde reentered his life.

But he left out the part of him having epilepsy. He didn't really want to get into that right now. He also didn't bring up the fact that he was depressed and was eating very little and that he used to cut himself. That was all too heavy to talk about right now.

"It seems like you've had a pretty nice life in New York," Kitty said, though Eric could hear the sadness in her voice.

Eric shrugged a little and smirked, "Yeah, it's been pretty cool living in the city."

Then it was quiet again, nobody really knowing what to say. It was harder than Eric thought to talk to your parents that you haven't seen in two decades. He thought all this time apart they'd easily find something to talk about, but it was more awkward than anything.

Eric looked down at his plate of food. He'd forced himself to eat a little bit and now he felt sick, but it wasn't really nauseous sick, he felt more light headed and drowsy than anything. He knew what was about to happen, he always had a weird aura when this happened. He had to get out of his parent's line of sight before it happened, not wanting them to worry.

"Um, I-I..." Eric tried to speak, but it was as if he couldn't form words. It was too late, it was already happening, "I-I—"

"Eric?" Kitty said, concern in her voice, "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

Everybody looked towards Eric and Chris suddenly stood and looked across at Jackie, "Jackie, help me get him on the floor before he falls."

Chris suddenly stood as Jackie remained seated, not exactly sure what was going on. She looked over at Eric and noticed his hands were shaking a little and his eyes looked empty. He looked spaced out.

"Oh," Jackie said before standing abruptly, suddenly aware of what was about to happen.

She grabbed Eric's arm, Chris grabbing the other before the both pulled Eric to his feet, but Eric's legs were sort of limp as his eyes lulled to the back of his head and he started his seizure.

Red and Kitty both looked terrified as did Callie. Callie had never seen Eric have a seizure before, not a grand mal anyway. She'd seen him have plenty of partial seizures, but other than that, she'd seen nothing.

Callie and Eric's parents watched on in horror as Chris and Jackie laid Eric on the ground. Jackie looked up at the table at Eric's parents, "Somebody get something for him to rest his head on, please!"

Kitty and Red both stood and Kitty rushed into the living room and grabbed a pillow off the couch and ran back into the kitchen, not wasting any time.

Jackie took the pillow from Kitty, thanking her quietly before pushing the pillow under Eric's head. Jackie's seen several grand mal seizures by now, but only one this bad. He was kicking his leg violently as he held his right arm to his chest, making choking, gurgling noises as he convulsed.

He had lost control of his bladder, which he'd be embarrassed about when he woke up. But nobody cared about that right now, they were all just worried for his well being.

"What's wrong with him?" Red asked as Eric continued to convulse.

Jackie looked up at Red and Kitty and her heart broke when she saw the worried looks on both their faces, tears in both their eyes.

"He has epilepsy," Jackie said quietly, looking back down at Eric. Her and Chris were gently keeping Eric held down a little, not wanting him to hit his head on anything.

"Is it always this bad?" Kitty asked, her voice a little higher than normal as tears fell from her eyes.

Jackie shook her head, "No, this is one of his worse seizures. They're usually not that bad."

"How often does this happen?" Red asked, stepping forward a little bit.

"Only about once a month, sometimes more if he's stressed," Jackie said.

She heard Eric make a loud choking sound and looked up at his face.

"Shit, he bit his tongue," Chris snapped. Eric had blood running from the corner on his mouth as Chris grabbed his arm and rolled him onto his side, not wanting him to choke.

Kitty put her hand over her mouth and choked back a sob as Red stood behind her, rubbing her back soothingly. Callie still sat in her chair, too shocked to move. Her face was pale and her eyes were wide, she's never looked so terrified.

After another few seconds, Eric finally ceased his convulsing and his body relaxed somewhat. He was breathing heavily and wheezing, trying to catch his breath as he lay there on the floor unconscious.

Jackie rubbed soothing circles on his back and tried to calm him as she looked back up at Red and Kitty, both of them looking on in horror.

"Is he going to be okay?" Kitty asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

Jackie nodded, "Yeah. When he wakes up he might be a little out of it, but after about ten minutes or so he'll be back to normal."

The family all just sat in silence for the next few minutes, waiting for Eric to regain consciousness. It took about three or four minutes, and when he did finally wake up, he had a hard time processing everything going on around him.

"Eric? Can you look at me, please?" Chris asked of him gently, but Eric didn't respond. It was if he hadn't even heard him.

"Eric?" Chris said again, but Eric didn't look at him.

Eric pushed his hands onto the ground and tried pushing himself up, but Chris pushed on his shoulders and pulled him back down, "No, you can't get up until you're coherent."

For the next several minutes, Kitty and Red watched as Chris ordered Eric around, asking him to do things, like count to ten or nod his head yes or no. He asked him to say his name, tell him what year it was, where he was, how old he was.

Kitty couldn't stop the tears from coming, it was out of her control.

After all this time apart she wanted to see her son happy and healthy, but instead he was sick. Very sick. And it absolutely broke Kitty's heart.

This was not how she wanted her kid's lives to go. Not at all.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N – Sorry again for such a long wait, I don't know why I've making you wait so long lately, I just can't seem to get anything going. Anyway, this one's a little shorter than usual, but it's full of drama, so I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for all the reviews by the way, they make me smile.

June 30, 2001

"Was it really that bad?" Eric asked as he sat on the couch in the basement late that night.

Jackie was sitting next to him, they both were just sitting in the dimly lit room. It was late, almost one. Red and Kitty had gone to bed over three hours ago, as had the kids.

"You scared everyone shitless," Jackie said.

This was the first time they had discussed the severity of the seizure he had all day. After he became coherent again his parents asked about his disease, but after a few minutes of talking about it they dropped, assuming he didn't want to talk about it anymore, but Eric could tell they still had many more questions.

"Did I scare you?" Eric asked, looking down at her.

Jackie looked up into his hazel eyes and nodded, "Yes."

Eric looked pale, the dark circles under his eyes standing out greatly. He was starting to worry her, "You look like you're going to pass out," Jackie said quietly.

Eric grimaced as he adjusted his shoulders, "I'm still beat from my little episode earlier. Don't worry, I'll be better tomorrow."

Jackie nodded, but she knew that wasn't true. He may have bounced back from his seizure tomorrow, but he'll still be depressed and he'll still be malnourished. Jackie wished so bad that she could help him. That she could make all his pain go away, but she knew it wasn't that easy.

Eric looked around the basement, smiling, "They haven't changed a thing."

Jackie smiled with Eric and nodded, "They never wanted to. It reminded them of you, so they just never changed it."

Eric frowned and looked down at his hands in his lap, muttering, "I wish I could go back and change everything. Make myself come and visit them, at least call them. But instead I decided to be a self-centered jackass."

Jackie smiled nudged him with her shoulder, "You had your reasons Eric. Don't beat yourself up over what's happened in the past, just be happy that you've come to see your family now."

Eric nodded, "Yeah, you're right," Eric said, smiling a little, still looking around the room. Everything was exactly where he left it. Hyde's fold up chair was still in the same spot, the same ratty blanket hung off the back of the couch, his record player was still by the door.

He wondered if his records still worked.

Eric stood up and stepped over to the record player, looking over all the old dusty records. Jackie watched him carefully, a small smirk playing across her lips.

"What're you doing?" She asked him, crossing her arms over her chest.

Eric swiped his hand across the records, freeing them of dust, "I'm going to see if these still work."

Jackie watched him as he silently flicked through the records, trying to pick from the many he owned. Jackie watched as he pulled out a blank white album cover and smile down at it before he pulled the record out of it's sleeve and turn to the record player.

Jackie sat there patiently as he put the record on and put the needle at a random spot on the record.

 _"_ _Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play…"_

Jackie smiled at the sound of John Lennon's scratchy voice and looked up at Eric as he made his way back over to the couch.

"You like The Beatles, right?" He asked her, a smile on his face as he stood above her.

Jackie smiled back up at him smugly, her arms still crossed, "As I recall, you once called me Yoko."

Eric chuckled and nodded, "Well, to be completely honest, you were ruining friendships."

Jackie gaped, but smiled as she smacked Eric on the arm, "I was not!"

Eric looked up in thought and tilted his head, "Eh, you kind of were."

Jackie glared at him playfully and jabbed her finger into his ribs, "Shut up."

Eric lurched away when her small finger poked him in the side, but smiled. Jackie was laughing at him, which made him smile even more, "You think that's funny?"

Jackie nodded, "Yes, yes I do."

"Yeah?" Eric then poked her in the side, making her giggle, "What about now?"

Jackie nodded, "Yep, it's still funny," She said as she stood, a smile still on her face, "But it's funnier when it happens to you."

Eric raised an eyebrow, "Why's that?"

Jackie then started poking him in the sides again, making him laugh, "Because you have a dorky laugh!" She cried over his laughter.

She continued to tickle Eric, his skinny arms trying to push her away, but he was laughing too hard. Jackie was laughing too as Eric fell back down onto the couch, lying on his back as Jackie continued to poke him on his sides and stomach.

Over Eric's laughter Jackie could still hear John Lennon singing in the background.

 _"_ _Greet the brand new day…"_

Jackie was basically sitting on Eric now, her tiny fingers running down Eric's stomach and sides. She was just enjoying seeing him laugh and smile. She hasn't seen him do either in a very long time.

"Okay! Okay!... I give up!" Eric cried, putting his hands up, "I give up! You win!"

"Say Jackie's the best!" She said over his laughter as she continued to tickle him mercilessly.

"Never!" Eric said between gasps of air and laughter.

"Say it or I won't stop!" Jackie cried, laughing herself.

"Okay, okay! Jackie's the best!" Eric laughed, trying to push her hands off of him.

"And Eric's a nerd!" Jackie smiled.

"I'm a nerd!" Eric cried, making Jackie laugh.

"You didn't have to say that, I was just making an observation," Jackie laughed.

Eric finally got ahold of her wrists and pulled them away from his body, but instead of her getting off of him she slipped and fell, landing on top of him. Now their faces were inches apart. But the awkwardness wouldn't ensue until they both caught their breath and stopped laughing.

It only took a few moments for it to stop, and when they finally did they looked into each other's eyes. They both were blushing, but it kind of just blended in from the redness their faces already held from laughing for so long.

Neither of them spoke for a moment, they just looked at each other. Jackie was smiling because Eric was smiling, it was rare to see him smile these days. Usually when he'd smile it'd be forced or he'd look tired, but this smile was genuine. He actually looked happy.

"Um…" Eric hummed, never breaking eye contact.

It took Jackie a minute to comprehend that he'd even spoke in her mind, and when she did she broke eye contact, feeling awkward all the sudden.

"Oh, um, yeah…" Jackie pushed herself up and off of Eric, sitting on the couch next to him as he too sat up, "Sorry…"

"It's alright," Eric chuckled as Jackie fixed her hair that had fallen into her face.

She looked so beautiful, Eric couldn't help but stare at her. She had pretty eyes. He's never seen eyes like that on anyone. He could look into them forever.

Jackie finally looked over at Eric after smoothing out her shirt, a small smile gracing her lips, her face flushed.

The song playing in the background was coming to a close, Eric knew because he's heard a thousand times before.

 _"_ _The sun is up…"_

Eric looked between Jackie's eyes and her lips. He could just kiss her. Jackie was looking at Eric's eyes, feeling her heart speed up.

 _"_ _The sky is blue…"_

Was he getting closer? It felt like he was getting closer. She could feel the heat radiating off his body. Yes, he was definitely getting closer.

 _"_ _It's beautiful…"_

They were just inches apart now, Eric had his arm slung over the back of the couch as he leaned further towards Jackie. It was now or never. Eric told himself before he gripped the back of the couch and swiftly filled the gap between them.

 _"_ _And so are you…"_

It took Jackie a moment to respond. She was a little taken off guard by how quickly he had moved in on her, but she reacted soon enough. She closed her eyes and moved her mouth against his, pushing her hands to his chest and gripping his shirt, pulling him closer to her.

Eric grunted a noise of surprise, but he moved his hand from the back of the couch to the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair.

The kiss seemed like it lasted forever, but it was only just a few seconds. Jackie was the one to pull away, but her hands never left Eric's chest.

Eric opened his eyes and looked at Jackie, feeling like he did something wrong, "Sorry…" He said, letting go of Jackie and pulling away, but she grabbed the chest of his shirt and pulled him back.

"For what?" Jackie asked, giving him a curious look.

"For… You know…" Eric said, slightly embarrassed as his cheeks turned pink.

Jackie giggled and snaked her arms up around his neck, pushing her fingers into his hair as she pulled him closer, "There's nothing to be sorry for," She said quietly before she kissed him again, taking Eric by surprise this time.

This kiss was quicker though, and it didn't give Eric enough time to kiss back, but she didn't seem to mind.

As she pulled away she grabbed his trembling hands and looked up at his face. That seizure he had earlier really did a number on him.

Jackie gave Eric a warm smile and she squeezed his hands gently in hers, "Come on, you look tired. Let's go to bed."

Eric, still a little out of it from the kiss, just nodded his head and stood with her.

As they went up the stairs, she never let go of his hand.

0-0-0-0-0

Eric started complaining of his stomach hurting early in the morning. The sun hadn't even come up yet. He had eaten more than usual the day prior and that's obviously why he had a stomach ache, and he kept telling Jackie he 'needed' to go to the bathroom, but with the way he was acting, she knew what he meant by that.

He was being too twitchy and his voice was shaky, which meant he was lying. It was like throwing up everything was a comfort to him. It somehow helped him get through the day.

"Jackie…" Eric groaned irritably, turning over in bed to lay on his back, "Please let me go…"

Jackie had a tight grip of his hand, and even though he kept telling her to let him go, his grip on her hand wasn't exactly loose. It was like he wanted to go, but he knew he shouldn't and deep down he wanted Jackie to keep him from going.

"No, Eric, you're staying right here," Jackie snapped sternly, looking down at their entwined hands.

"But it really hurts…" Eric groaned, his eyes screwed shut.

He was sweating, a lot. It didn't help that he always layered his clothes. He was sleeping in a sweater, but it was thrown over a t-shirt. He was trying to appear as if he weighed an average weight for his height, but if he only wore the t-shirt he'd look sickly. But it was getting to the point where wearing layers or not, he always appeared ill. He was always pale, trembling and sweating. If my the end of the weekend he still looked this way, she was taking him to the hospital, whether he liked it or not.

"I know it hurts, but it'll pass," Jackie said, scooting closer to him.

"I don't know…" Eric was breathing heavily, thinking maybe that would help with the pain, "I feel like I'm going to be sick and I won't be able to help it this time."

"Well, wearing a heavy sweater probably isn't helping matters much," Jackie said, "Being hot never helps with feeling sick."

Eric nodded, "Maybe I should take it off?"

Jackie nodded, "That's what I'd do."

Eric slowly sat up and Jackie released his hand as he started to take the sweater off. Jackie had sat up with him and watched him carefully. She felt so bad for him. Why did he have to go through all of this?

Eric finally pulled his sweater over his head and he threw across the room and into the corner, but after he did that he made a sudden move to get up and dart to the bathroom, hoping to be too fast for Jackie to catch him, but he was wrong. Jackie wrapped her arms around his middle and pulled him to her, hugging him close to her.

"Jackie, please…"

Jackie rested the side of her head on Eric's back and shook her head, "You're not leaving this bed, Eric."

Eric let out a disgruntled sigh, "Jackie…" He choked back a sob this time and it made Jackie's heart break. She continued to hug him, hoping to offer him some comfort. She could feel how skinny he was as she had her arms wrapped around him, he seemed slimmer than before and it really worried her.

"Eric, I'm this close to taking you to the hospital," Jackie said, her voice muffled by his t-shirt.

Eric shook his head, "No, I'm fine, just…" He grabbed her hands and pulled her arms away from his middle, with a little bit of a fight, and turned around to face her, "Don't let me go."

Jackie could feel tears in her eyes, but she nodded and tightened her grip on his hands before he suddenly surprised her by wrapping his arms around her. Jackie returned the embrace as they both laid down on their sides, Eric's head resting against Jackie's shoulder.

Jackie wrapped one arm around his back, making sure he wasn't going anywhere as her other hand stroked his hair, trying to calm him down.

He was hyperventilating and it was stressing her out a little bit. Jackie didn't know how to calm him down, and that got to her for some reason. She just wanted to make him feel better and she couldn't do that easily and that really bugged her. Why couldn't she just hold him and tell him everything would be okay and then it would be? Why wasn't it that simple?

Eric kept telling Eric over and over again that it would be okay, hoping that maybe he'd just believe her. Jackie felt Eric grip her shirt tightly in his fist, as if he were a frightened little puppy dog.

"It's okay, Eric… It's okay…" Jackie whispered softly in his ear, continuously stroking his thick hair.

It was quiet for a moment, the only sound in the room was Jackie's quiet shushing and Eric's suppressed sobs.

Then Eric spoke, but very quietly, "Jackie…"

Jackie looked down at his face, seeing his eyes squeezed shut tightly, "Yes?"

Eric tried keeping his breathing even, but it kind of hard when you were having a panic attack, "I'm scared…"

Jackie frowned and tightened her hold around Eric, resting her head against his as she asked curiously, "Of what?"

"Of what I could do to myself," Eric said quietly, releasing a few tears.

Jackie sucked in a tense breath, "You're not thinking of cutting yourself again, are you?"

It was quiet for a quick several seconds before Eric spoke up, "Sometimes…"

Jackie pulled away from Eric then, resting her head on her pillow and looking at Eric face more clearly now. His eyes were open now and he was looking at Jackie sadly, as if were ashamed of himself. Had he scared her off?

Jackie grabbed Eric's hands and squeezed them tight as Eric averted her gaze, "And sometimes I think of worse things…"

It was now or never to let out everything he had his mind on.

Jackie furrowed her brow, "Worse things? Like what?"

When she was met with silence, Jackie's expression changed, "No… Eric, look at me."

Eric ignored her and let himself cry instead, which made Jackie grab his chin and force him to look up at her, "Eric, please… Open your eyes," After a minute or so of pleading with him, he finally did as she asked before she continued, "How often do you think about stuff like that?"

Eric shrugged sloppily, "A lot…" Eric sighed before he continued, "Sometimes, when I'm taking my medication, I just think maybe I should take more than two pills… Maybe I should take a handful… And sometimes when I'm on my way to work, I wonder if I should walk into the road and just let a car hit me. I'd be much better off—"

"Don't say that," Jackie suddenly snapped, grabbing Eric's arms, "Don't you ever say that!"

"Jackie…?"

"No, listen to me!" Jackie pleaded, feeling herself begin to cry, "People care about you. So many people care about you. Your Mom, your Dad, Laurie, Steven, Michael, Fez, Donna, Callie, Chris, me! We all care about you and we don't ever want to see you hurt. Please don't put everybody that loves you through that, please…"

It was then quiet as Eric tried to take in what she had just said. He knew people cared about him and he knew Jackie cared about him, just not this much. She looked genuinely upset, tears were falling from her beautiful hazel eyes. Eric didn't like seeing her upset.

"All those people you just mention, they all love me?" Eric asked quietly, gripping Jackie's hands gently.

Jackie nodded, "Of course they do. Why would you even question that?"

The corner of Eric's mouth twitched and he smiled a faint smile, but it was still noticeable, "And you said you love me. Is that true?"

Jackie was quiet for a moment. Oh God, what had she done?

"Um, well… Uh…" She didn't know how to respond. What was she supposed to say? What if he didn't feel the same?

She looked at Eric and her heart warmed a little when she saw he was smiling a tad. Well, at least his mind was off of everything else now.

Jackie sucked in a sharp breath, had a quick pep talk with herself, and released that breath before she spoke, "Eric, since we ran into you in New York, my life has changed completely. At first when we saw you, I was mad. I was so angry with you for leaving all of this behind without a word and never calling anybody to let them know you were okay, but then… But then I found out you weren't okay. You were sad because you were alone. I mean, yeah, you have Chris, but you don't really have any adult friends or even a girlfriend. And then I found out about your one time fiancé and her miscarriage, I found out about your illness… Things for some reason just don't seem to fall your way. But I feel like I was meant to come to New York so I could run into you and we would start talking again. I feel like I was supposed to go to New York to help you, and I'm trying, so hard, I really want you to feel better about yourself. And in the process of me helping you achieve that, 'we' sort of happened. And I feel like the more time we spend together the more I come to realize that… I really like you, and I have for a long time and could just never wake myself up to realize that you were the one for me… So, to answer your question. Yes, I did say I love you and I meant it. I love you, Eric. I always have."

As soon as she finished Eric planted a kiss on her mouth. Jackie made a small noise of surprise, but quickly relaxed into the kiss and placed her hand on the side of Eric's face. This kiss was a lot better than the two they shared earlier. A LOT better. It lasted longer than the last two as well, but not that much longer.

Eric pulled away after about ten seconds or so and looked down into Jackie's eyes, a smile on his face, "I love you, too."

Jackie smiled back at him and grabbed the front of shirt, pulling him back down for another kiss.

A/N – It started off kind of happy, then it got depressing again. I know, I keep doing this to you guys. Sorry. Eric should be getting his life back on track soon, it'll just take him a little time. I hope you enjoyed, and until next time.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N – Oh my God! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a long time. I've had the worst case of writer's block ever, but last night a burst of creativity went rushing through my bones. So here's a new chapter. We're getting close to the big event and that's towards the end of the story. I haven't decided if 9/11 will be one long chapter or several chapters. Anyway, we're getting close to the end, but don't worry, I have a sequel in the works.

I loved the reviews as usual, they always make me smile. :)

Anyway, here's the next chapter.

July 1, 2001

It was the last day with Eric's parents and they were having a little cookout, kind of like an early Fourth of July celebration since Eric had to go back home for work early. Eric woke up a little happier that morning though. He hadn't forced himself to throw up in three days and he was proud of himself. He was also happier now because he and Jackie were 'officially' together. They just haven't told anyone yet.

Eric went downstairs to see what everybody was up to that morning and walked into the kitchen to see Chris talking to Red and Kitty.

At first, Eric thought Chris might have been annoying them, as the boy never knows when to stop talking once you get him going, but Eric was surprised to see both Red and Kitty smiling as Chris rambled on about whatever it was he was rambling about.

"…And when light reflects off of something, it bounces into the camera, through the lens and onto the mirror. The light then bounces off the mirror into a five-sided piece of glass called a pentaprism and into the eyepiece, and when that happens the light passes through the eyepiece and into your eye. That's how you see the image exactly as it will appear on film, and—"

"Good morning, guys," Eric said after watching Chris ramble for a moment. All three of the people at the table turned and looked up at Eric as he entered the room, "Is he telling you about his new camera?"

Kitty beamed and nodded and Chris looked down, seeming slightly embarrassed, as if he knew he had rambled too much. They just asked if you liked your new camera Chris, they didn't want to know how it worked down a tee. Chris internally scolded himself.

"Yes, it's very interesting," Kitty said with a beaming smile as she saw Chris's red face. Maybe that would cheer him up?

Chris looked up at Kitty and Red and saw them both smiling at him, so he smiled back a little.

"Where's Callie?" Eric asked as he walked over to Chris.

Chris looked up at Eric and jutted his head to the side, "In the bathroom taking a shower."

Eric nodded, "Alright. Well, why don't you go upstairs and put your camera away for now. You don't want to kill the battery before all the fun stuff happens."

Chris nodded and looked down at his camera in his hands, "Okay," He said before he stood and started walking away, waving awkwardly to Red and Kitty as he went.

"That's a very nice camera you've got there, Chris," Red called to him.

Chris turned and smiled, nodding and stumbling out of the room awkwardly.

Eric pulled out a seat and sat down across from his parents, both of them turning to face him, smiling still.

"He's a great kid," Red beamed.

Kitty nodded in agreement, "He's very smart. And very sweet."

Eric smiled and nodded, "Thanks," He replied. That's what he should say, right? He did practically raise Chris after all.

"You said you adopted him?" Kitty asked.

Eric nodded, "Yeah, well… I kind of moved in with him and his mother when he was about six. So legally I haven't adopted him, but I like to think of him as my son."

"You moved in with his mother?" Red asked curiously, one eyebrow raised.

Eric nodded, "Yeah, but we weren't together or anything. We were both kind of struggling to pay rent and with our money together we could easily afford a place, and besides, she told me Chris liked having me around and that was a rarity for him."

"He doesn't like a lot of people?" Kitty asked, her eyebrows furrowed curiously.

Eric shook his head, "Well, it' kind of hard for him to make friends. He's not so good at socializing."

"Well, him and Callie seem to get along really well," Kitty smiled.

Eric nodded and smirked, "That was kind of a forced relationship on Callie's part. She liked to pester him when they first met, then after a while they became friends."

"Now I think they're a little more than friends," Kitty giggled, scrunching her shoulders.

Eric chuckled, "Try getting them to admit that."

They all chuckled a little bit, but stopped talking, leaving the room quiet. Eric could feel the tension in the room, and he knew that they wanted to ask him about his seizure he had the other day. They never got around to asking him the day before, but he knew it was coming.

"Eric…" Kitty spoke first, "We've been meaning to talk to you about something."

Eric nodded and tensed up in his chair a little, refusing to make eye contact with either of his parents.

"It's about what happened when you got here," Kitty said, her face sad, "I just want to ask a few questions about it, okay?"

Eric nodded, but he looked anxious, "Ask away."

"Alright, well, first things first, how long have you had epilepsy?" Kitty asked, praying that it wasn't that long.

"Since the early eighties," Eric said, confirming Kitty's worst fears.

"Are they always so… Violent?" Kitty asked.

Eric shook his, giving his parents a reassuring look, "No, not usually. I have one like that maybe only once or twice a year, if that."

They kept asking questions about his illness, and Eric answered every one honestly. After a fifteen minute conversation about it, some of their fears were diminished and they felt a little more at peace with it, now that they knew a little more about how he dealt with it.

For the rest of the morning, the three just talked to each other about each other. Eric told them, in a little more detail, about his life in New York, and his parents told him of all of the many things they've done in the past twenty some years.

By noon though, Red was ready to start up the grill for the barbeque and Eric decided to help. As they had just thrown the hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill, none other than Michael Kelso walked up the driveway with his family.

"Eric Forman!" Kelso said, a wide smile on his face as he sauntered up the driveway, swagger in his stride.

Eric turned to look at Kelso and smiled just as big before Michael wrapped him into a tight hug.

"It's good to see ye', man," Kelso smiled, patting Eric on the back brotherly.

Eric nodded, "It's good to see you, too."

They pulled away from each other and Eric looked over Kelso's shoulder and smiled at Brooke, "How are you doing, Brooke?"

She smiled and hugged Eric, "I'm doing fine, thanks."

After a moment of hugging, they pulled away and Eric saw Kelso's two daughters. He was amazed at how big Betsy had grown. She was a college student now and it kind of made Eric feel old, because he remembers her when she was just a little baby.

She was tall and blonde, but she had blue highlights in her hair and she was wearing a navy blue ballcap backwards as she chewed on some gum. She looked like she might have had an attitude at first sight, but when she looked up and saw Eric, she smiled sweetly and held out her hand.

"You must be Eric," She said, shaking his hand firmly, "Forgive me for not remembering you, I could barely walk when you moved away."

Eric chuckled, "That's alright. It's really nice to see you again, and wow have you grown."

Betsy chuckled and looked down at her sister Michelle, who was shyly hiding behind her, "Michelle… You don't have to be shy, he's practically family."

Eric smiled at that and Michelle slowly scooted out from behind Betsy, but she still warily looked up at Eric.

Eric waved carefully at her and smiled, "Hello Michelle, it's very nice to meet you."

She hid behind her hands, but wiggled her little fingers at him.

"Betsy, why don't you take your sister inside to see Kitty, maybe get her some juice?" Brooke asked kindly.

Betsy nodded, "Okay. Come on Micky, let's go find Grandma Forman."

Betsy grabbed Michelle's hand and took her inside. Eric smiled and turned to Kelso, "They're both very pretty girls, Kelso…. They must get it from their mother."

Kelso rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Please, be honest Eric, they got it from me."

Brooke crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow at this, "Excuse me?"

Kelso immediately dropped his cocky look and slumped his shoulders, "I-I mean, um, what I meant was…"

Brooke stood there, patiently waiting for his answer.

Kelso averted her gaze and gestured over his shoulder, "I'll just go help Michelle with her juice box, you know how tricky those straws can be…"

Kelso then stomped off into the kitchen, trying to avoid a very dangerous situation with his wife. As soon as he was out of earshot though, Brooke laughed and shook her head.

"He hasn't changed much has he?" Eric smiled, his hands in his pockets awkwardly.

Brooke shook her head, "No, not really."

Eric and Brooke stood there and conversed for the next several minutes about nothing in particular. Eric told her a little about his photography and she told him about her kids. The conversation only lasted a few minutes though, because it was interrupted by another childhood friend of Eric. Two of them, actually.

"Hey Forman!" Steven Hyde called out, pulling Eric's attention away from Brooke.

Eric smiled when he saw his friend and he saw him holding the hand of a slightly younger woman. Jackie showed him a picture of Hyde's girlfriend once, but this was a different woman. Things must not have gone well with the other girl.

"Hey man," Eric smiled as and Hyde hugged, slapping each other on the back before pulling away, "How've you been?"

Hyde shrugged, "I've been alright. What about you?"

Eric stuffed his hands into his pockets and shrugged his frail shoulders, "I'm doing as best as I can," He replied, glancing over his best friends shoulder at the girl he brought with him, "And who's this?"

Hyde looked over his shoulder and smiled, grabbing the girls hand and bringing her forward, "Oh, this is my girlfriend, Mai."

The woman smiled sweetly and offered her hand to Eric, "Nice to meet you."

Eric shook her hand and smiled kindly back. She was an attractive woman, she was about as tall as Jackie and she had jet black hair that was pulled back into a bun, a few loose strands hanging down around her face, her golden colored eyes seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.

After Eric released Mai's hand he noticed as fidgety Hyde was being. He had his arms crossed awkwardly as he shifted from foot to foot, it made Eric raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

"You alright, man?" Eric asked, casting his friend a concerned look.

Hyde nodded, "Yeah, yeah… I'm fine," He said, his voice smaller than Eric was used to hearing it. Hyde turned to look over Eric's shoulder and saw Brooke talking to Red, a beer in her hand, "Hey Brooke, could you come here for a second?"

Brooke looked over at Hyde and smiled before politely excusing herself from the conversation she was currently in before she made her way over to Hyde.

"What's up?" She asked curiously, pursing her lips.

"Um, Brooke I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Mai," Hyde introduced and waited for the girls to finish introducing themselves before he continued, "Why don't you show her around and introduce her to everybody? I've got to talk to Forman."

Brooke gave him a curious look but nodded anyway, "Yeah, okay. Come on, Mai, you've got to meet Kitty, you'll love her."

The girls then headed towards the house and Hyde suddenly grabbed Eric's arm, a little rougher than intended, and pulled him down the driveway, out of earshot of Red who was currently flipping the burgers.

"Hyde? What's wrong?" Eric asked, genuinely concerned now. He's never seen Hyde so jumpy before, he was usually so laid back, he was starting to worry him.

Hyde ran a hand across his face and looked around nervously, "Things have been stressful for me lately, man. Too stressful."

Eric slumped his shoulders and gazed at Hyde in concern, "How come?"

Hyde crossed his arms again before he started, "Well, about a month ago my old girlfriend, Quinta, broke up with me. We were together for a long time, too man, I thought we were going to get married, we had already started talking about it."

"So what happened?" Eric asked, furrowing his brow curiously.

"Mai showed up, that's what happened," Hyde said, "She called me and asked if we could meet for lunch one afternoon. At first I thought she was trying to hook up with me and I told her I was already in a relationship, but she said that's not why she contacted me, that's when my entire life changed."

"Wait," Eric stopped him, "Did you hook up before? You know, since she had your number?"

Hyde nodded, "Yeah, but it was all a mistake. Me and Quinta were having issues, I got drunk, we hooked up, no big deal, right?"

Eric shrugged.

"Wrong!" Hyde snapped, making Eric flinch, "No, she calls me and we meet for lunch, everything's going fine, and then she drops the bomb shell on me."

Eric held his breath, making an assumption of what Hyde would say next, then it happened, "She's pregnant."

Eric was silent for a minute, not really sure how to handle this. Hyde was obviously stressed about all of this. Hyde was never a family man, when they were teenagers he always said he never wanted kids of his own and now this happened because of one mistake.

"What'd you say?" Eric finally spoke, his voice cracking a little bit, making him clear his throat awkwardly.

Hyde threw his hands up, "I asked her what she was planning to do and she told me she wanted to keep it. I was so stressed out and I knew I had to tell Quinta, but it's so hard, you know? But… I told her anyway and she left me. Just like that. She didn't even let me explain."

Eric furrowed his brow, "What's there to explain, Hyde? You slept with another woman and she ended up pregnant, it's pretty self-explanatory."

Now it was Hyde's turn to furrow his brow, "Who's side are you on?"

Eric shook his head, ignoring that last question, "How far along is she?"

Hyde sighed and hung his head, "Two months yesterday."

Eric sucked in a sharp breath as Hyde continued, "I don't know what I'm going to do, man."

Eric sent a sort of glare at Hyde as he let his arms fall down by his sides, "You got to be there for her!" Eric snapped, pointing towards the house where Mai had gone with Brooke, "She's probably scared and she needs a little support. You're that baby's father. This should be a happy day, not a sad one. Think about man. You're going to be a Dad."

Hyde nodded, "I know, I know… It's just scary, you know?"

Eric nodded, "I know. But just wait. She should be having an ultra sound anytime now and when you see that photograph you will instantly fall in love and you won't want to turn back."

Hyde raised an eyebrow, "How do you know that?"

Eric shrugged, "I just do."

Hyde decided to ask him any further questions on that, he just nodded and adjusted his shoulders, "Just be there for her?"

Eric nodded, "That's all you have to do."

Hyde nodded again and offered a smile for his old friend, "Thanks Forman. You're smarter than I remember you being. It's kind of shocking."

Eric rolled his eyes, "Just go find your girlfriend."

Hyde smiled and nodded, "Alright, I'm going, I'm going, jeez…"

Eric smiled as Hyde turned and went back towards the house to find his girlfriend. He'd be alright, he knew it. Hyde would be the coolest dad any kid could ask for. Hyde's kid might actually be the only kid on the planet who actually gets to say the words 'my dad's cool.'

Eric would be that dorky dad who ranted about how cool Star Wars used to be before they started to make that horrible prequel trilogy, Eric only hoped they'd make a better Star Wars movie someday.

He'd be that dad who blasted Led Zeppelin, Ted Nugent and Weezer in the car as he and his wife picked their kids up, just to embarrass them. He'd most likely be that dad who other kids thought was cool, just not his own.

Eric smiled to himself at his thoughts. He wondered if he'd ever have kids and if he did, with whom? He pictured Jackie immediately in his head and smiled even wider. That'd be a dream come true.

"Eric!" Speak of the devil.

Eric spun around and saw Jackie peeking her head out of the back door, her brow furrowed and a sweet but curious smile on her face, "What are you doing? Come on, it's time for lunch."

Eric nodded and smiled, turning around and starting towards the door, "I'm coming."

He walked into his old home with a smile on his face, a little happier than he's been in a long time.

0-0-0-0-0

July 2, 2001

Hyde never told anyone else about his girlfriend being pregnant. He told Eric he'll just wait for when he's ready. He was still a little weary on being a parent, but he wasn't as stressed as he was before now that he had started to think about it. He was excited and scared all the same, but he was sure that's how every first time parent thought.

It was early that next morning when Eric, Jackie and the kids were packing up to leave and Red and Kitty were both very sad to see them go. They just wanted to keep Eric here so they could just talk to him and see him all the time, but they knew they couldn't do that. He had a life in New York.

"Alright, that's the last of it," Eric said as he slammed the trunk of Jackie's car shut and turned to see his parents.

His father was smiling sweetly at him as he held his arm around his wife's shoulder and Kitty held a hand to her mouth, trying to keep herself from crying, but it was no use.

"Why do you have to go so early?" Kitty asked as she suddenly launched herself into her son's arms, "Why can't you just stay a little longer?"

Eric smiled and returned his mother's tight embrace, "I have to work, mom. And I have a meeting on Friday."

Kitty nodded in his chest, "I know… I'm just going to miss you, is all," She said as she pulled away.

Eric nodded, "I know. I'll come visit again, don't worry. And I'll call, twice a week."

"Three times a week," Kitty said, not leaving it open for debate.

Eric nodded again and smiled wider, "Okay, three times a week. You guys know where we are, I left the address written on the pad on the counter."

"New York's kind of confusing, how will I know exactly where you live?" Kitty asked, wiping her eyes.

"Okay, when you come into the city go straight to Lower Manhattan," Eric explained, "There's signs that'll direct you there or you could just ask somebody how to get there. You should go up West Broadway and when you see the World Trade Center make a left up Ann Street and drive for three blocks then make a left onto William's Street, that's where I live."

"Sounds complicated," Red said, frowning.

Eric shook his head, "I wrote it down. If you get lost in the city, just ask for some guidance. New Yorker's are surprisingly helpful if you keep it short and simple."

Kitty and Red both nodded as the group of four got ready to leave. Callie stepped forward and threw her arms around Kitty, beaming like the sun, "It was good seeing you again, Grandma Forman."

Kitty smiled and hugged the young girl back, "It was nice seeing you too. Tell your mom I said hi."

Callie nodded, "I will," She said as she stepped back.

They all got quiet as Chris stepped forward and held his hand out, almost robotically, "It was nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Forman."

Red and Kitty both raised an eyebrow, curiously watching Chris before Red spoke, "What are you doing?"

Chris just replied in monotone, "Holding my hand out for you to shake."

Kitty smiled sweetly, "Oh honey, families don't shake hands. Families hug."

Eric was about to protest, knowing full well that Chris wasn't exactly into hugging people, but he decided to wait and see what happened.

He, Jackie and Callie all watched as Chris furrowed his brow and pursed his lips, as if debating what he should do. He let his outstretched hand fall by his side stiffly before he cautiously made a few steps towards them, as if he were unsure of how to go about this.

He awkwardly held open his arms, but he only stood in his place for a moment before Kitty crushed him with a tight hug. Chris had the wind kicked out of him for a minute as he awkwardly placed his hands on Kitty's back, patting gently, not really sure what to do.

Soon enough, Red had wrapped his arms around the two as well and they all group hugged for a moment. After a few seconds they finally pulled apart and Chris stepped back awkwardly, trying to figure out what to do with his hands as Kitty and Red smiled at him kindly.

It was resolved though when he felt Callie's small hand envelope his, her hand squeezing his gently. Chris looked up and over at Callie as she smiled up at him, "You're too adorable, Chris," She said it sarcastically, but somehow everyone knew she meant it.

Chris turned a light shade of pink and averted everyone's gaze, but even he couldn't help the small smile that made itself present on his face as he gently squeezed Callie's hand back.

"Alright, we should get going," Eric said, adjusting his shoulders anxiously.

Jackie smiled at Red and Kitty and went to hug them, "It was nice seeing you guys again."

"You too, sweetheart," Red smiled as Jackie pulled away. Then it was Eric's turn to bid farewell to his parents.

"Well…" He started awkwardly, not sure what to say, "I'm really happy I got to see you guys again and I'm really sorry it's been so long since I've talked to you. I promise to come and visit as much as I can."

Kitty nodded, "There's no need to apologize, honey. We're just happy you're here now."

Eric nodded and smiled, "I'm still sorry."

"We know," Kitty said before she took her son in her arms, Red joining them, "We love you very much."

Eric nodded into his father shoulder, feeling tears fall from his eyes. He was fine a moment ago, but now every emotion he held in about his family over the years, the things he wanted to say to them and tell them, all those lost moments, they were tearing him apart. He doesn't know how they've forgiven him so easily. It must be a parent thing.

As Eric and his parents pulled away he felt his mother's thumbs wipe away his tears, "Don't cry, sweetheart. Everything's okay."

Eric nodded and smiled, "I know," He said as he wiped his eyes, "God, I can be such a woman sometimes."

Eric was surprised to get a laugh from both his parents at that joke and he laughed along with them before his mother grabbed his arms, "Be safe now, okay? We'll see you soon."

Eric nodded, "Alright. I love you guys."

"We love you, too," Red said this time, "Now go on, you need to go before it gets too late, maybe you can miss all that early morning traffic?"

Eric nodded in agreement, "Yeah, alright. I'll see you guys soon."

Eric stepped back and turned towards the car that the kids were already in, looking over his shoulder at his parents as Jackie went around to the driver's seat and got in. Eric smiled at his parents before he got in the car as well. As Jackie started up the car Eric watched his parents smiling faces as his father wrapped a comforting arm around his mother.

Eric watched them the whole way backing out of the driveway and the whole time they went down the street until their faces disappeared from his view.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N – Hey guys, we're getting close to the end of this story. But like I said before, there will be a sequel. Be warned, this chapter is probably the most depressing one yet. It may start all warm and happy, but Donna's nosey self sort of ruins it all.

I'd get into depth about the reviews and how much I love them, but I'm so tired. I just got back from Ohio yesterday and the hotel we were staying at sucked, so our beds were crappy and my back hurts and I have a headache, so just know that I loved your reviews as always.

Have a good day and enjoy the next chapter.

July 20, 2001

"Three pounds, Eric!" Jackie beamed as she peeled her eyes away from the scale that read 124, "You gained weight!" She beamed as she suddenly jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I'm so proud of you!"

Then she kissed him on the mouth quickly before she pulled away, her arm still around his shoulders as she looked back down at the scale. Eric hasn't thrown up in three weeks and Jackie's stayed over at his place for three weeks. It was all because she was there to help him through it.

Eric was now able to eat a full basket of fries and small sandwich from the local deli and not feel sick to his stomach. He still ate light, but he ate enough to have gain this much weight.

Jackie looked down at Eric's shirtless torso and examined him, "You look a little thicker, too," She smiled, poking him the side, causing him to chuckle, "I like it."

Jackie was happy that Eric was happy. He seemed to do a little better every day. Every day he smiled more and every day he laughed more. He was getting close to being the old Eric again, but he still had a little ways to go.

Jackie sighed contently before she looked down at her watch, "Oh, I've got to go," She said, pulling away from Eric and adjusting her pony tail, "I want to get going before it gets too hot."

Jackie went on a run every morning, it's become her routine of the last month. She went before eight and got back with just enough time to shower and get ready for work.

"I'll see you later," She smiled before standing on her toes and pecking him on the lips before she turned and went out of the bathroom door.

Eric watched her go and waited for the front door to slam before he turned and put his shirt back on. Unlike almost a month ago Eric actually wanted to be better.

Last month he'd basically given up on life and hope and decided he'd rather just wallow in bed for hours on end and mope around all day hating the world, but in the past few weeks Eric's made a serious effort to get better. He still had stomach pains sometimes and he still felt as if he had to throw up, but he never let it happen. Or Jackie never let it happen.

Eric had stopped debating whether or not he should go back to cutting himself, he's also stopped silently judging himself in the mirror, and he hasn't cried himself to sleep in a while. He also had lesser and lesser frequent thoughts of killing himself as time went on. He's starting to think he's actually getting better.

Eric turned and looked at himself in the mirror. He was still pale, but not like before. He had a little natural color coming back to his skin, he was more 1980's David Bowie rather than 1970's David Bowie.

Eric used to look in this mirror and tell himself he was hideous, worthless, and good for nothing. He used to pick apart everything he found wrong with himself. Sometimes people used to tell him he looked sickly, that was back when his seizures were really bad. Sickly they wanted then sickly they'll get. He started forcing himself to be sick every week, then twice a week, then every other day, then every day. He did it so much he was almost hospitalized. He started working through his problems for his parents, for his son, for his friends, for Jackie. He didn't want her to watch him slowly wither away.

So he finally pulled himself together and started doing all of this for her, and maybe even for himself.

Eric looked back into the mirror and gazed at himself for a moment and for once, Eric actually smiled.

0-0-0-0-0

Eric came home from his meeting at around six that evening. He was tired and just wanted to go to bed. He was tired of dealing with people today, they all seemed to want to annoy him. And his day started out so well, too.

Eric sighed tiredly, or was it irritably? He pulled his keys out of his pocket and searched for the right one that opened his door. He finally found it and was about ready to put in the keyhole when he heard some slightly louder music coming from the other side of the door followed by laughter.

Eric raised an eyebrow and twisted the doorknob, letting the door gently swing open. He curiously entered the apartment and quietly latched the door behind him as he tiptoed into the living room eagerly.

When he came into the living room he smiled at the scene before him.

Apparently Callie or Chris, probably Callie, had put on some music and decided to have a dance off. Eric didn't know the song but Callie, Chris and Jackie seemed to be enjoying it.

Eric was actually a little surprised because Chris was actually dancing, and he seemed to be having a good time, which was even more surprising. The things Callie could talk him into.

Callie and Chris were dancing together, their hands joined in front of them as the both giggled happily. Jackie just stood back and tapped her foot and bobbed her head back and forth as she watched the two, a smile on her face as well.

Eric decided to make his presence known now. He slowly stepped into the living room and walked over to Jackie, but he looked down at Callie.

"I thought you were grounded," He said to Callie.

She wasn't supposed to leave her apartment unless it was to go somewhere with her mother. She was allowed to talk to Chris, but only on the phone. Chris wasn't grounded for sneaking out though, it was kind of hard to ground him. The only thing he really enjoyed was hanging out with Callie, drawing and taking photographs. You couldn't take away his art or photography, they were his escape. He used those things to calm himself down if he felt a panic attack coming on or if he was just having a bad day, and Callie was the only person who really made him smile, so you couldn't tell he couldn't hang out with his best friend. So Eric took away his Gameboy and Pokémon games and that was that.

Callie and Chris both stopped dancing and looked up at Eric, both a little nervous as Callie started to speak, "I'm sorry, please don't tell—"

"Relax," Eric cut her off, "I'm not going to tell you mother."

Callie furrowed her brow and gazed up at Eric on confusion, "Really? Why not?"

Eric shrugged, "I'm feeling edgy today."

Jackie rolled her eyes as Callie and Chris both smiled, giggling a little, "Thanks Eric," Callie said.

Eric waved his hand about, "No problem."

Chris and Callie went back to dancing as Jackie grabbed Eric's hand and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, "How was the meeting?"

Eric frowned, "Ugh. Long and unnecessary."

Jackie giggled as she followed Eric into the kitchen, "That bad, huh?"

Eric nodded as he went to the fridge to look for a beer, "Geoff is a pain in the ass. He thinks he knows everything. And he's always talking about this weird diet he's on."

Jackie pursed her lips as she pulled herself up to sit on the counter, "Is he still eating that crunchy oatmeal?"

Eric nodded, "He eats it at lunch all the damn time. And I think he ate a garlic clove for breakfast this morning because his breath smelled awful."

Jackie smiled and watched Eric pop the top on a beer, "My day wasn't much better. I had this older lady come in and she wanted a perm. I was trying to get out of work early and she came in and wanted a PERM. Do you know how long it takes to do those?"

Eric furrowed his brow, "Why'd you have to do it? Couldn't someone else have a go?"

Jackie shook her head, "It was busy today and I was the only hairdresser open. And she was annoying too. She had this New Jersey accent and she kept on talking about her 'dead-beat, good for nothing, lazy ass husband.'"

Eric snickered at that, "Is that exactly how she worded it?"

Jackie nodded, "Yep."

"Sounds rough," Eric smirked, taking a sip from his beer.

Jackie shrugged, "I tried my best."

Then the two just sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. That's what Eric liked about Jackie, things never seemed awkward with her. They could just be together and not say a single word and things were fine and comfortable.

They'd been on two dates since they got back from Wisconsin and both of them had gone very well. They went out to dinner on the first one and to the movies on the second one. Eric had been happier and happier every day since they started going out.

"You think Chris will be okay by himself tonight?" Jackie asked, causing Eric to raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah, probably… Why?" He asked curiously.

Jackie smirked in a weird way, she was feigning an emotion and Eric couldn't figure out what it was, "Because… I've got something to show you."

Eric raised an eyebrow and smiled nervously, "Okay…"

The two then sat in silence for the rest of the afternoon, deciding to watch Chris and Callie dance and have a good time from afar, Jackie smiling happily the whole time and Eric watching her curiously.

0-0-0-0-0

July 21, 2001

"Callie, would you quit being a pain in the ass," Donna snapped at her daughter who was just trying to annoy her.

"But it's the only thing I'm good at," Callie whined sarcastically, faking a pout.

She kept grabbing her mother's hand and skipping along beside her, singing a song like a small child, "Callie, you're not five," Her mother would say, snatching her hand out of her daughter's.

"But I want to be," Callie remarked, grabbing her mom's hand again.

"Callie, would you stop it?" Donna snapped, getting close to just losing it.

"Mom, it's for safety!" Callie cried, "What if a man just ran down the street and snatched me up? Then you'd be thinking twice about holding my hand, wouldn't you?"

"Callie, we're getting in an elevator, let go," Donna ordered.

Callie sighed, "Fine," She finally dropped her hand by her side and looked down at the floor longingly.

Donna pushed the button to go to the fifth floor and waited for the elevator doors to shut. Donna found Jackie's 'lucky' hairbrush the other day and she decided to return it, she was in town anyway.

"You know that feeling when the elevator starting working?" Callie asked, "You know, the one that makes you feel kind of sick? Like car sick?"

Donna sighed and looked down at her daughter, nodding, "Yeah, what about it."

Callie just smirked and shrugged, "I kind of like it."

Donna rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile a little at her daughter's oddness. She got that from her father.

The two girls waited about twenty seconds before the elevator hit the fifth floor and the doors slid open. Donna and Callie both walked out and started down the hall, looking for Jackie's room.

Callie thought for a moment, remembering something from the night before. Didn't Eric and Jackie leave together last—Oh… Callie smiled to herself. This should be good. Callie lived for drama as long as it didn't involve her.

Donna and Callie suddenly stopped in front of Jackie's apartment door, Donna knocking on it loudly and waiting for her friend to come and answer the door. She started riffling around in her purse, looking for the brush that Jackie had left at her place before she moved out.

Callie heard footsteps on the other side of the door and felt her heart speed up a little in excitement. This was it.

Callie waited and watched as the door opened and revealed Jackie, by herself, standing before them, wearing a large button up shirt that nearly went to her knees, wearing nothing but underwear underneath it.

"Donna," Jackie almost shrieked as she froze in the doorway, her hand on the door as she stared wide eyed at her old roommate.

"Hey Jackie, I finally found your hair—" Donna stopped talking when she saw what Jackie was wearing, then she smirked knowingly, "Do you have a guy over?"

"Um…" Jackie's mouth felt like cotton. What was she supposed to say? "No…"

Donna raised an eyebrow, smile still present, "Then whose shirt is that?"

Jackie looked down at herself and then back up at Donna quickly, "It's mine."

Donna slumped her shoulders and crossed her arms, "Come on, Jackie. Who is it?"

"No o—" She was cut off though when another voice spoke.

"Who was it?" The voice asked, obviously not paying enough attention to Jackie to see she was still at the door.

Donna suddenly frowned, immediately recognizing the voice. Soon enough, Eric came around the corner, buckling the belt on his pants before he looked up and caught eyes with Donna and he made the same face Jackie made.

"Oh… Hi Donna," He said, smiling awkwardly and waving his hand nervously.

"Eric?!" Donna cried, shocked.

"Oh yeah," Callie suddenly snickered, "I forgot to tell you," She said, garnering her mother's attention, "Eric and Jackie are going out."

Donna looked back at her two old friends, "It looks like they're doing more than going out."

"Keep your voice down, I don't want all the neighbors knowing about this," Jackie hissed, glaring at Donna.

"Oh, they know, honey," A man said as he walked by, putting his keys in his pocket, "They know."

Jackie flushed red and looked down in embarrassment, Eric had turned a shade of pink as well. Callie almost laughed out loud, but kept it to a small giggle, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Please, come in," Jackie said, stepping aside so Donna and Callie could come in.

The two girls entered the room and Jackie closed the door firmly behind her and waited a moment before she turned around, trying to get over her embarrassment.

"So you two…?" Donna trailed off, as if she didn't want to say it.

Eric raised an eyebrow, "Why? Does it disgust you?"

Donna looked over at Eric as he wrapped his arms around himself, as if he were trying to cover his body from Donna's wandering eyes. Donna nodded, "Yes!"

Eric tilted his head and nodded, "Then yes. We did."

Eric was suddenly met with a light thud in the stomach as Jackie smacked at him, sending him a glare at the same time, "Eric!"

Eric shrugged, "What? We did."

"This is weird," Donna said, placing her hands on the sides of her head.

"How is this weird?" Jackie suddenly asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Because… It just is!" Donna cried, her eyes still wide as she looked over at Eric. His hair was disheveled and he was unshaven, Donna was too shocked to admit to herself that it looked good on him, "You two? Together? You guys hate each other!"

"We did," Eric said, his arms still wrapped around himself as he looked around nervously, "…About twenty years ago."

"It's still unnatural!" Donna cried, running her hands through her long red hair, "When did you two start… You know… Hooking up?"

Jackie raised an eyebrow, "Hooking up? We're not 'hooking up' we're going out, there's a difference. Who do you think we are?"

Donna shook her head, "That's not what I meant, I'm sorry, I'm just a little shocked."

"We've been 'hooking up,'" Eric said, using air quotes, "For about a month."

"Only a month and you guys have already had sex?!" Donna cried incredulously.

"Ew, I don't ever want to hear you say that word again," Callie winced, scrunching her shoulders in disgust.

"We've only been going out for a month, but there's been something between us for much longer than that," Eric said, shrugging his frail shoulders.

"What does that even mean?" Donna asked, throwing her hands up in confusion.

"I'm not going to explain it to you, Donna, it's private," Eric said. It was now that Donna noticed he was still covering his torso from her view with his arms.

"Eric, I've seen you shirtless before, you don't need to hide," Donna said in frustration.

Eric then went pale, which concerned both Donna and Jackie. Jackie went to stand beside Eric and put a gentle hand on his arm and looked over at Donna, "Donna, now's not the time—"

Donna was now confused, "Not the time for what? Why's he so embarrassed?"

Jackie shook her head, "He's not, he's just—"

"Eric?" Donna interrupted again, her voice calmer now, "What's wrong?"

Eric shook his head and swallowed thickly, averting everything gaze, "N-nothings wrong, I'm just going through some personal things right now."

"And Jackie's the only one who knows about them?" Donna asked, trying to stay calm, noting how vulnerable Eric was right now, "Eric… I'm your friend, too. You can talk to me."

Eric shook his head, his eyes still staring at the ground as he furrowed his brow, "It's not that easy, Donna."

It was then that Callie saw what Eric was hiding. She saw a cut down at his waist and realized what he did. She then thought back a couple months ago when she heard her mother arguing with Eric and Jackie, that's the day after she found out Chris used to cut himself too, "Yeah Mom, maybe we should just let him tell you in his own time."

Everybody looked at Callie, a little curiously as Donna spoke, "How bad could it be? Eric?"

Eric was getting a little frustrated now. Callie knew, somehow. Maybe he should just tell her.

"Eric?" Donna repeated, taking a small step closer.

Eric sighed irritably and threw his arms out, glaring at Donna, "I used to cut myself, okay?! You happy now?!"

They all heard his voice break at the last sentence, but he carried on. He was tired of hiding, maybe finally letting everything out would make him feel better.

"I used to cut myself every day thinking maybe it'd help me cope with being depressed and hating myself! I could never understand why I hated myself and was always sad and alone so to comfort myself and help myself get through that, I started forcing myself to throw up every day! That's why I used to only weigh 118 pounds! To cover up how sickly I was I layered clothes and sweat my ass off all the time, that probably didn't help with my weight because it made me even skinnier!

"I used to exhaust myself just walking into town to get fucking groceries! Groceries I ate and threw up three hours later because I was trying to kill myself! I've never told anyone this, not even you Jackie!" He cried as he pointed at Jackie, "But about a month before any of you got here I overdosed on my medication. I got drunk and mixed the alcohol with about fifteen pills. Thank God Chris got home from school early, because if he showed up about an hour later he would have found the body of his father lying on the kitchen floor in a pool of his own blood! Oh yeah, did I mention I cut my wrists too, thinking to myself, if the pills don't work, maybe I'll bleed out instead?

"Turns out God doesn't want me dead! He wants me to suffer!" Eric cried, crying his eyes out, abandoning the idea of holding his emotions in, "You happy now, Donna? You know my secret!"

Everybody was quiet as Eric grabbed his coat he brought the night previous and threw it on over his shoulders and zipped it up before he grabbed his keys and wallet and went to the door to leave, but not before looking back and glaring around the room, "Fuck all of you," Then he swung open the door, let himself out, and slammed it shut behind him.

Donna was crying, Jackie was crying, even Callie was crying. Jackie knew he didn't mean what he said, the last part anyway. He was just upset. Jackie suddenly ran back into the hall and left Donna and Callie by themselves in the living room.

Jackie quickly pulled on a pair of pants and some shoes, not bothering with makeup, hair or even putting on socks, she just grabbed her keys and ran back into the living room where Donna and Callie were still standing in complete shock.

"Guys, come on let's go! We can't leave him alone right now, there's no telling what he might do!" Jackie snapped, trying to keep herself calm so she could concentrate on finding Eric, "Come on, let's go!"

And with that, the three girls left the apartment, Jackie not even bothering to lock the door behind her.

0-0-0-0-0

Eric stormed back into his apartment about twenty minutes later. He ran all the way here, not in the mood for the bus or anything like that right now, he just wanted to be alone.

Eric came into the apartment and knew exactly what he was going to do, he was just tired of everything and everybody.

Eric went to the kitchen, threw his keys and wallet on the counter and grabbed the notepad by the coffee machine and pen and started writing everything he wanted to say. To his parents, his sister, his friends, Chris, Jackie. Everybody that was important to him.

He wrote it quickly, it was sloppy, but it was readable. So he tore the paper off the pad and folded it in half and wrote his name on the front of it before throwing the pen on the counter and walking across the room and into the living room and placing the paper on the coffee table.

The apartment was quiet, which meant Chris was still sleeping and his mother Barbara was passed out somewhere, probably in her bedroom.

Eric walked down the hall and found Barbara's room and opened the already cracked open door. He walked in, not bothering with being quiet. He saw the heroin needle nearby Barbara, meaning she's used it recently, so she wouldn't wake up for anything.

He strode across the room and looked across Barbara's dresser top for a key. He was trying to remember where she put it. He suddenly stuck his hand in a coffee cup that held pencils and tore them out of it, throwing them onto the floor and grabbing the key out of the bottom of the cup and grabbing the box that sat next to it.

He quickly unlocked it and threw the key down, grabbing what was inside the box. A gun. He saw several bullets laying in the box as well and he took them and shoved them in his pocket before he tucked the gun in his waist band and left Barbara's room.

He went down the hall, to the bathroom, and closed the door, locking it behind him. He then paced for several minutes, trying to reason with himself, but it wasn't working. He couldn't bring himself to realize he had so much to live for.

He had a good job, a whole city to work it in, a beautiful city he lived in, a son, his friends, his family, Jackie. For some reason none of that mattered right now. He was thinking of them, he was thinking of himself and that he just wanted to close his eyes and never wake up.

He had finally hit his breaking point.

So Eric pulled the gun out of his waist band, pulled the bullets out of his pocket, loaded the gun, and sat down in the middle of the bathroom floor, pressing the cool barrel of the gun into his temple.

He breathed shallowly, trying to work up the nerve to pull the trigger and just end it all. His finger was on the trigger, and he had a little pressure on it. Come on, Eric. Just do it.

So Eric just sat there, stuck in his mind.

And nothing kills a man faster than his own head.

0-0-0-0-0

Donna, Jackie and Callie stormed into Eric's apartment twenty-five minutes later. The door was open, which worried Jackie. He was being sloppy and that wasn't good.

When she entered the room she looked around. His wallet and keys were on the counter, where he usually put them. Okay, what else?

"I found something," Callie suddenly spoke.

Jackie whipped her head around and saw Callie holding a piece of paper in her hand. Oh no.

Jackie quickly stepped over and grabbed the paper out of Callie's hands. It had Eric's name on it. She quickly unfolded it and read his handwriting, which was kind of hard to read.

 _I hate the world. I hate everyone. I hate myself. I'm sorry it had to be this way, but I feel like I don't have any other choice. I love you, Chris, and I hope you get into NYU like you always dreamed, I know you'll do great things. I love you, Dad. I know we were never on the same page but you taught me some pretty valuable life lessons, so thank you for that. I love you, Mom. I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye one last time but just know you've always been with me wherever I went even if you weren't. Steven, you were the greatest friend anyone could ever have and I know you'll be pissed when you hear the news, sorry about that. I love you, man. Michael, you're a good man with a good heart. I hope you have a nice life, love you. Fez. I hope you find your dream lady someday, until then, keep up with the charming attitude, it's hard to dislike you. Love you. Donna. I've always loved you and probably always will, just not in the way you had hoped. Just know you're always in my heart and tell your daughter I love her and I love what she's doing for Chris. They're wonderful together. Jackie. I love you so much. Recently I've been thinking about us a lot. I thought maybe one day we could get married, have a family and grow old together. Looks like there's been a change of plans. I'm so sorry for what I said and I hope you can forgive me. I love you, so much and always have. With love, Eric._

"Jackie!" She heard Donna cry and she peeled her eyes away from the note Eric left, tears in her own eyes, "I heard a gun load, I think Eric's trying to kill himself."

Jackie let the note go and let it fall to the ground as she rushed down the hallway and stopped in front of the closed bathroom door.

"Eric?!" She called, knocking on the door rapidly, "Eric, it's me, Jackie. Please don't do this, you have so much to live for."

He was quiet, but Jackie could hear his rapid but shallow breathing, so she continued, maybe it would coax him out from behind the closed door, "Eric, please. This isn't how your life it supposed to end. You were supposed to grow and get really old and die peacefully in your sleep, not to a gunshot wound to the head, self-inflicted.

"Chris can't live without you, Eric. You can't just leave him behind," Jackie pleaded with him, praying to God desperately that Eric would have second thoughts about this.

Just then, Chris came out of his bedroom, rubbing the sleep from his eye, "What's going on?"

Callie rushed over to him and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from Jackie. They had decided to let Jackie deal with this. Too many people might overwhelm Eric like before and send him over the edge. And the edge this time was much steeper than before.

"Eric," Jackie said quieter, trying to be calm for him, "You can't leave him behind. You can't leave you family behind… You can't leave me behind. I love you, so much. I want to spend my life with you. I want to go on more dates, I want kiss you and hug you, I want to wrap my arms around you when you're feeling down about yourself and tell you everything will be okay.

"I want to make love to you again, and I want to get married. I want to have a family of our own and watch them grow and have families of their own. I want to grow old together and watch our grandchildren play and laugh and love. I want to tell you I love you because I do. I love you so much, Eric Forman. And I can't live without you… So please… Open this door and let me see you…"

It was quiet for a moment and Jackie heard a quiet click. She looked down at the doorknob and quickly reached her hand down and twisted it. It was unlocked. Jackie quickly twisted it and let the door swing open. She looked down at the ground and was relieved with what she saw.

Eric sat in the middle of the floor, his whole body trembling as he held the gun in his hand, his finger removed from over the trigger as he slowly started to put it down. He was crying as he slowly moved his head up to meet eyes with Jackie.

"Eric…" Jackie whispered, standing still in her place, feeling her body shake as well.

Eric finally met Jackie's eyes and opened his mouth to speak, "Did you really mean what you said?"

Jackie let the tears fall now as she nodded her head, "Of course I did."

She stepped into the bathroom and slowly kneeled down in front of Eric, reaching down the gun in his hand. He followed her hand to where she was reaching and he let her take the weapon out of hand, his loose grasp letting it free.

Jackie took the gun and placed it on the counter, away from Eric, the gun facing the bathroom mirror.

She looked back down at Eric and saw him looking back at her, his eyes full of unshed tears, "Y-you don't hate me, d-do you?"

Jackie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she gazed at him, but before she could speak he started again, "I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry," He then grabbed at the sleeves of her shirt, or rather his shirt, as he started to cry, "Please don't hate me."

Jackie quickly wrapped her arms around Eric and let him cry into her chest as she held him tight, "Eric… I could never hate you. I love you."

Jackie felt his arms move around to her back and his fingers clenched the fabric of her shirt as he sobbed uncontrollably, mumbling over and over again, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay…" Jackie whimpered as tears fell from her eyes as well. She tightened her arms around Eric and kissed the side of his head, pushing one hand into his hair, trying to calm him, "It's okay…"

Behind Jackie in the hallway stood Donna, Chris and Callie, all watching the scene unfold before them. Donna was crying, as was Callie and Chris felt tears in his eyes as well. He had showed up at the scene late but got here in time to realize what was going on.

"I'm so stupid…" Eric mumbled into Jackie's shirt, his arms still wound tightly around her.

Jackie shook her head and gripped his shoulders, "No you're not."

Eric nodded his head, strongly disagreeing with her, "Then why would I try something like this? I can't just leave you guys like this… It's not fair…"

"Eric," Jackie said, her voice suddenly stern as she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him away from her. He was nearly dead weight in her arms, his whole body tired. This whole thing must have really wore him out, "You're in a rough place and no one here can even begin to understand how you feel. But we're all here for you. Everybody here wants you to get better and we'll help you get there no matter what it takes."

Eric then attacked her with a hug again, his arms feeling tighter around her than before. As he sit there in her arms, his tears soaking her shirt, Jackie made a vow to him that she really was going to help him get better, no matter what it took. Even if it meant she didn't leave his side, she just wanted him to be his old self again. And she'd held him get there.

No matter what.

A/N – I know, so much angst. I was actually not picturing this chapter going in this direction. It just sort of happened. This should be the last big chapter about Eric's depression. He finally let everything out and had his breakdown, now everyone knows about it and he can have a little more support. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll write some more hopefully soon.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N – Well guys, this is the chapter before last. The next one's the big one. The grand finale. Thanks so much for sticking around till the very end, but I'll give thanks in the next chapter, for now let's just read this one.

I think this is my longest chapter yet, it's just over 7'000 words. The next one will be longer and it might be a while before I post it, but who knows, I might have a dash of creativity and write it all soon.

This chapter is focused more on Chris and Callie rather than Jackie and Eric. But there is a Jackie/Eric moment in the beginning and I think it's very sweet. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy. Until next time. Have a nice day.

August 27, 2001

"It's okay… It's okay…" Jackie soothed. It was three in the morning and Eric had stayed up late working on going through his photos for a collage he was supposed to put together for a magazine. He had become overwhelmed with everything lately and woke Jackie up crying and panicking. He was sitting in an upright fetal position, his arms wrapped around his knees as he tried to even out his breathing, but concentrating on it wasn't helping and was actually probably making it worse.

Jackie was rubbing his back soothingly, trying to help as best as she could. She'd never seen Eric have a panic attack this severe, he was getting really pale and she was sure he was having a hard time drawing in hair. She was afraid he was going make himself pass out.

"Eric, look at me," She pleaded, moving to sit in front of him, "Eric…"

Eric shook his head and clenched his eyes shut tight, tears running down his face as he muttered incoherently.

"Eric," She said again, a little louder as she gently grabbed his wrists, pulling them away from where he was pulling at his hair, not wanting him to hurt himself, "Open your eyes… Look at me… Eric, look at me."

Eric finally opened his eyes, but he averted Jackie's gaze, a little embarrassed of having a meltdown in front of her, but Jackie continued to plead with him, "Eric, look me in the eyes. I promise you it will help."

He still refused to look at her, so she ended up putting her hands on his face and moving his head to look at her. She was gentle about it and when she saw his pretty hazel eyes she smiled warmly, "It's okay. Just focus on me, okay? Just look at me…"

Eric slowly started to calm down and the color started to come back to his face as Jackie used her thumb to stroke his cheek, quietly soothing him. It was about five minutes or so before he finally started to calm down, but Jackie was just happy he was actually calming down.

Jackie kept her hands on his face and looked him in the eye, "You're okay now… You're alright," She smiled as she wiped his tears. His face was red, but Jackie couldn't tell if it was from getting upset or embarrassment. Probably both.

"Why don't we go to bed? You've had a long night," Jackie coaxed, moving her hands down to grasp his.

Eric nodded gently and sniffled, still trying to catch his breath but having an easier time breathing than before. Jackie slowly stood up and helped him up along with her before they slowly stepped over to Eric's bed.

Jackie released Eric's hands as he climbed into bed before she crawled in beside him. Jackie sat back, propped against the pillows as Eric suddenly wrapped his arms around her middle and rested his head in her lap. Jackie was a little surprised by the action.

Ever since the incident Eric's barely touched her. She doesn't know why, but she went with it. He was vulnerable right now and needed someone. Even though he never touched her, he still clung closely to her, barely ever leaving her side.

Jackie was surprised further when he grabbed her hand and pulled it down around him, kissing the back of it firmly before holding it in both his hands, keeping it close to his face as he stared at the wall across the room.

"I'm sorry," Eric suddenly spoke, his voice sounding small and quiet.

Jackie furrowed her brow as she looked down at Eric's face, using her free hand to brush the hair out of his eyes, "Sorry for what?"

Eric adjusted himself and gripped Jackie's hand tighter, his eyes watering again, "For being so… distant…"

"Eric, you're going through a rough—"

"I won't even hold your hand, Jackie," Eric snapped, causing Jackie to flinch, but she wasn't hurt by it, she just let him continue, "How could love someone who won't even hold your hand?"

Eric was getting choked up again as Jackie spoke, "Why won't you hold my hand? I know you're forcing yourself not to. So why won't you touch me?"

Eric shrugged, "I don't know… I guess I'm just… ashamed…"

"Of what?" Jackie asked, widening her eyes, "Of me?"

Eric felt her start to slip her hand out of his and he suddenly sat up, turning to face her as he grabbed her hand back, looking her in the eyes, "No! I'm ashamed of myself! I'm not ashamed of you. Jackie… you're beautiful and kind, and… Well, you've stuck around with me for longer than anyone ever has, even in my condition."

"Eric… Of course I've stuck around. I would never leave you… Y-you don't think I would, do you?" Jackie asked, tightening her grip on his hand.

Eric looked down at his lap and shrugged his shoulders loosely. Jackie grabbed Eric's other hand and both of them in both of hers, "Eric. Please believe me when I tell you you're the love of my life and I would do anything for you. I'd never abandon you…"

Eric scoffed and kept his gaze locked on his crossed legs, "It's just hard to believe that sometimes…"

Jackie didn't really know what to say. How could she prove to him that she wanted to be with forever? That she would never leave his side, no matter what? Surely there must be a way. Jackie then smiled.

She looked back at his face, her hands holding his tighter than ever, "Marry me."

Eric looked up quickly, his brow furrowed in confusion, "What?"

"You said you don't believe me. You don't believe that I would stay by your side and be there when you needed me. I thought how could I prove you wrong? So… Marry me," Jackie was smiling sweetly at him, but Eric was still crying, Jackie thought maybe he'd say no.

Eric looked down at Jackie's hand in his and chuckled, as if he didn't believe what she was saying, "Are you being serious?" He asked as he looked back up at her face, a small smile on his face. It was a sight that warmed Jackie's heart.

Jackie nodded and squeezed Eric's hands, "Yes, I'm being serious. I'm asking you to marry me, Eric."

Eric smiled a little bigger and laughed again, happily. She wanted to get married? He looked into her eyes, her hazel colored irises looked sincere. Eric couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he nodded.

"Yes," He laughed, "Yes, I'll marry you."

Jackie beamed and squealed joyfully, in a girly way as she clapped her hands. Eric watched her and laughed happily the whole time before she suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the mouth.

He smiled against her lips and placed his hands on her hips as she straddled his lap and pushed her fingers into his hair.

And Eric knew right then as Jackie sat in his lap and kissed him, he knew she was the one he'd be with forever.

0-0-0-0-0

Over an hour or so later, the two were lying in bed, under the blankets, staring up at the ceiling. Both of them wore a smile on their face, both of them happier than they were an hour ago.

Eric didn't think his night would turn out this way. It started out with him stressing out over his photo collage and having a panic attack to Jackie proposing to him and now here they both lay under the blankets after passionate… sex. Eric blushed just thinking about it.

He suddenly heard Jackie giggle under his arm and he looked down at her and raised an eyebrow, but his warm smile remained, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing…" Jackie smiled, biting her lip, "You're just so cute when you're blushing."

That made Eric blush more and Jackie giggled again before she rested her head on her fiancé's bare chest. Fiancé. She liked the sound of that.

The two sat in silence for a moment, it was a comfortable silence.

"Where do you want to get married?" Eric asked joyfully, tightening his arm around Jackie's shoulders.

Jackie hummed in thought before sarcastically responding, "Fiji."

Eric chuckled, "Fiji?"

Jackie nodded, "Yeah. Or we could just get married on the beach. That'd be cool, too."

Eric laughed and nodded, "I don't know. An average old beach is definitely not as cool as Fiji."

Jackie giggled and scrunched her shoulders, "I don't care where we get married. I'm just happy I'm getting married to you."

Eric smiled at that and rubbed Jackie's bare arm gently before giving her a kiss on the side of the head, "Yeah. I'm happy I'm marrying you, too."

Jackie smiled back and looked up into his eyes, "You know what we're going to have to do after we married, though?"

Eric furrowed his brow and shook his head, "No. What?"

"Buy a house," She responded, resting her head on his chest once more.

"Oh yeah? What for?" Eric asked, not catching on.

Jackie then rolled her eyes, "For our kids, of course."

Eric smiled wider and looked up at the ceiling longingly, "Well… How big does this house have to be?"

Jackie thought for a minute, her lips pursed before she spoke, "I don't know, how many kids do you want?"

"I don't know… Two or three?" Eric shrugged.

"Really? I want five," Jackie responded, as if that was an easy number of kids.

Eric's eyebrows shot up, "Five?"

Jackie nodded and beamed a bright smile, "Yeah, five. Four boys, one girl."

Eric was surprised, "You want more boys than girls? I would have never guessed."

"Boys are easier than girls," Jackie said, "Girls are too complicated. They're more expensive too."

Eric chuckled, "I don't know. I think boys are harder to raise than girls."

Jackie rolled her eyes, but smiled lovingly at her new fiancé, "How so?"

Eric adjusted under the blankets, but kept his arm firmly around Jackie's shoulders, "Well, knowing me, our girls could be careless about what kind of clothes they wear. When I was a kid I never cared about the latest trend in fashion—"

"But I was," Jackie cut him off, "What if they're like me as a kid?"

"Oh, that'd be a nightmare," Eric chuckled as did Jackie, "But I don't really care either way. We could have all boys or all girls. I'd love them all the same."

Jackie nodded in agreement, "Yeah, me too."

Jackie and Eric then snuggled closer together and closed both their eyes as they slowly drifted off into a for once peaceful sleep.

0-0-0-0-0

August 28, 2001

Callie leaned back against a tree out in front of the high school. She was only in eighth grade and Chris was a freshman, so she still had another year before she went to the same school as he did, and she couldn't wait. It was kind of weird spending time apart from him now after spending every day of the summer by his side. She kind of missed him.

She was waiting for him right now. He told her yesterday that his old bully was already back to picking on him, so Callie wanted to be here so they could walk home together. Maybe Callie could keep the bully from antagonizing Chris all the way there.

Callie kicked at rocks on the sidewalk as she waited for the bell to ring, which happened only a moment later. Chris hated the bell. It was too loud and it happened too fast. He could usually handle it though.

Callie watched as kids started flooding out of the school as she pushed herself off the tree trunk she was leaning against, waiting for Chris to make his appearance.

It was after most of the crowd had went down the sidewalk that Chris came through, his hands gripped the straps of his backpack and his head lowered to the ground, glaring at it irritably. It was then that Callie noticed the kid following behind Chris, chattering away constantly, and from the look on Chris's face, what he was saying wasn't good.

Callie grabbed the straps of her backpack as well and skipped forward a little, waiting for Chris to catch up to her.

"Hey Chris," Callie suddenly spoke as he got closer to her.

He jerked his head up and looked at his friend, "Callie…"

The boy beside Chris suddenly stopped in his tracks and smiled deviously at Callie, "Oh, you're still hangin' around her?"

Callie crossed her arms and glared at the boy, finally recognizing him. Casper, the boy from the street that day that was flirting with her and calling Chris names. She hated him.

"Yes, he's still 'hangin' around me,'" Callie spat, stepping closer to Chris and sizing Casper up, "Do you have a problem with that?"

Casper shook his head and held his hands up in defense, though he wore an amused smile on his face, "No problem at all."

Callie nodded and grabbed Chris's arm. He flinched at the sudden contact but he relaxed quickly as they turned to leave.

"It's no problem that ye' choose ta' hang out with a retard," Casper called as the two started walking away, but they froze when he said that, "It's a little weird, but… It's yer life."

Callie spun around and clenched her fists, glaring at Casper, "What did you call him?"

Casper smiled as Chris tried getting Callie to leave it alone, "A retard," Casper smiled smugly, "Everybody's got a nickname for him, it just depends what mood he's in that day. If he freaks out, he's cry baby. If he flaps his hands, he's retard. If he has a little fit of rage and he yells at a teacher, he's Mr. Manson. We're just waiting for Chrissy boy here to snap. It's willing to happen one day."

Callie nodded, "Yeah, and you'll probably be the first one he goes after."

Casper frowned, "Was that a threat?"

Callie sized Casper up again, her face just inches from his, "Yeah, I think it was."

"Okay guys, let's not fight," Chris said, pushing the two apart awkwardly.

Callie and Casper glared at each other as Chris pulled Callie away from Casper, "Callie, let's just go home. I can handle him. I don't need your help."

Callie shook her head, "Nobody calls my boyfriend names and gets away with it."

Chris blushed at that and Callie was fully aware of what she just said. Boyfriend. She wasn't spending the time to blush about though, she was still glaring at Casper, but she decided in the end to grab Chris's hand and walk away, be the bigger person.

"Come on, Chris," Callie snapped, turning and dragging Chris away, "I'll bash his face in some other time."

Casper smirked at her meaningless threat and shook his head, "We both know you're not capable of that, little miss perfect."

The two kept walking as Casper tried coming up with something else to say, "You must be pretty desperate if you're willin' to screw a retard!"

Callie tightened her grip on Chris's hand, but Casper kept talking, "Is it desperate or… Slutty?"

That's when Chris stopped walking, pulling Callie to a stop. Callie turned and looked up at Chris, her features softening when she saw his angry expression, "Chris?"

"What's the matta' Chrissy boy? Don't like me insulting yer girl?" Casper asked, his thick New York accent starting to get on Chris's last nerve, "I don't think sluts can be insulted. They've already gone as low as they can go."

Chris clenched his fists, releasing Callie's hand as Casper hit the last straw, "And yer girl's already gone as low as she can go, I mean… How much lower can it get, sleepin' with you."

Chris suddenly spun around on his heel and charged at Casper. Callie stood back in shock as she watched Chris tackle Casper and they both slid to the ground. Chris was sitting on top of Casper as his fists just starting smacking into the other boy hard and fast. Callie was too shocked to respond initially, she just watched as several kids leaving the school crowded around and watched the fight.

"Is that Chris?" One kid asked.

"Yeah, the weird kid?" Another spoke.

"Yeah."

"He's whoopin' Casper's ass!" A boy cried, pumping his fist in the air, "Get him Chris!"

Callie was surprised someone else was supporting Chris in this fight, but she quickly shrugged it off and stepped forward, pushing into the crowd of gathering teenagers and came to stand in front of the fight.

Casper had landed a few punches at Chris, but now he was begging for Chris to get off of him as he guarded his head with his arms.

Callie needed to stop this before Chris really hurt Casper, "Chris! Chris, stop!"

But Chris kept hitting Casper, his breathing heavy. Callie finally reached down and grabbed Chris's fist as he raised it up again and Chris suddenly stopped. He looked up at Callie, one fist still clenched, the other gripped the chest of Casper's shirt.

"Chris, stop it," Callie ordered, tears threatening her eyes.

For once, Chris sensed the emotion in her voice and his gaze softened. He looked back down at Casper and released the chest of his shirt. Callie let go of his wrist and Chris stood up quickly, but he glared down at Casper and didn't say a word. He just turned around and started down the sidewalk, Callie following closely behind.

They walked side by side as the high school kids stared after them and then they all looked down as Casper, who still laid on the ground, holding his stomach and groaning in pain.

Callie looked up at Chris as they walked down the sidewalk quietly. He was still glaring, but at nothing in particular. He had been punched in the face, because his mouth was bleeding. Maybe he bit his tongue or something?

Callie watched as he turned his head to the side and spit some blood out into the grass in front of somebody's home. Callie didn't like it when people fought, especially if they were fighting about her, but Chris looked kind of badass right now.

Callie kept herself from smirking and the two continued their venture home silently.

0-0-0-0-0

Chris dropped Callie off at her apartment before he ran home. He got back to his apartment near four thirty that afternoon and when he walked in, Eric and Jackie were sitting at the counter, drinking a beer.

"Hey buddy, how was sch—Chris?" Eric suddenly cried, putting his drink down, along with Jackie before they both walked over to Chris, "What happened?"

Eric tried grabbing his chin to make him look towards him so he could see the damage, but Chris pushed his hands away, "Nothing, I'm fine."

Eric was taken aback by his harsh tone. It wasn't like Chris to be angry. He was usually quiet and secluded.

"Chris, if—"

Chris cut him off, "Casper called Callie a slut so I kicked his ass."

Chris then stormed towards the hall as Eric and Jackie looked towards him, "You look like hell. Are you sure you're okay?"

Chris then smirked sort of smugly, which was rare for him as well, "You should see him."

He then walked down the hall and the next thing Eric and Jackie heard was the slamming of his door being shut. Eric then smiled and looked towards the hall proudly, "Wait to go, Chris."

Chris threw his backpack down in the corner of his bedroom and went over to lay down on his bed. He kind of felt bad for beating up Casper, even if he did deserve it. Chris didn't like being angry and he felt like he should apologize.

He also thought Callie was mad at him. Callie didn't say a word to him the whole way to her apartment, even when he tried talking to her. That was usually the other way around. Apparently Callie didn't like the fighting type. Not many girls did.

Chris sighed and looked up at the ceiling, his mind not letting him think of anything else than Callie being angry at him. Had he just ruined his only friendship?

 _Tap, tap, tap!_

Chris jerked his head over to the side, looking over at his window and he saw his only friend standing on the fire escape, tapping on the window.

Chris raised an eyebrow and quickly sat up and stepped over to the window, unlocking it and opening it up.

"Callie? What are you doing here?" Chris asked as he moved out of the way for Callie to clamber through the open window.

"I came to see if you were alright," Callie replied as she smoothed her shirt out and looked up at Chris, "Are you?"

Chris nodded, "Yeah, but… You're not mad at me?"

Now Callie furrowed her brow, "Why would I be mad at you? You stood up for me and beat the crap out of Casper. That's pretty cool."

Chris shook his head, "I should of let it be. I shouldn't have hit him."

Callie shrugged her shoulders awkwardly, "I think you should have, maybe just not so much…"

Chris nodded in agreement, "Yeah, maybe…"

Callie examined Chris. He had a bruise along his jawline and a cut on his lip, most of the other damage must be on his abdomen, that's where Casper was trying to push him off of him. Callie looked down at Chris's hand, which was clenched nervously. He was averting her gaze, as usual.

"Callie?" Chris suddenly spoke again, causing Callie to look up at him.

"Yeah?" She hummed, her brown eyes staring into his intently.

Chris immediately averted eye contact again and nervously asked, "Um… D-did you, um, mean what you said back there?"

Callie raised an eyebrow, "About what?"

"Um… m-me being your… You know, your… Boyfriend…" Chris said nervously, his fists clenching and unclenching.

Callie smiled a little bit and gently grabbed his hand, causing him to flinch a little as he looked down at their entwined hands.

"Why would I have said it if I didn't mean it?" Callie asked.

Chris adjusted his shoulders awkwardly and stumbled over his words, not really sure what to say. His face was pink with slight embarrassment as he tried getting words to form and actually come out of his mouth.

This was it. Callie thought. My chance. Callie grabbed Chris's other hand and tightly held the both of them before she stood on her tip toes and pecked Chris on the lips, which immediately halted his speech.

The kiss was quick, like any typical first teenager kiss, but Callie was still glad she did it. Chris blushed a deeper shade of red and finally made eye contact with Callie as she smiled up at him. Chris then smiled back awkwardly before he laughed nervously, which he always did when he was nervous. Callie thought it was cute.

After the slight awkwardness died down a bit they both sat down and laid on his bed, both looking up at the ceiling, still holding hands.

Their first kiss was awkward, sure, but who's first kiss was perfect? Callie was just glad she did it.

0-0-0-0-0

August 29, 2001

It was the middle of the school day the next day and neither Chris nor Callie had any problems with anybody that day. Chris was usually picked on by somebody during the day, but so far, nothing. Not even from Casper, and he was hard to scare away. Chris actually hasn't seen Casper today, which was a little odd. He must have really scared him off.

Around lunchtime, Callie would sneak out of her school and come over to Chris's school and they'd have lunch together. The middle school was only a block away so she just walked over to the school.

She climbed over the fence that surrounded the outdoor lunch area and walked up to the back steps. The outdoor lunch area was for the outcast kids. The poor kids, the thugs, the thieves, the pot smokers, the kids that snuck alcohol into the school and disguised it as water or tea, and then just the plain weird kids.

It was a little intimidating at first. High school kids were different. They were tougher, more intimidating, knew how to stand their ground, didn't care what other people thought of them, accepted themselves, had everything figured out. At least, that's what Callie thought.

These kids were worse than middle school kids. They may have been taller and stronger, but they were still just kids who had no idea what to do with themselves and they were all self-conscious. Which is why all the 'weird kids' ate lunch outside because they felt like the outcasts inside.

Callie and Chris were both accepted out here, nobody cared who they were and what they did. Thye were just some other weird kids.

"Hey Callie," A boy named Windel suddenly spoke. He was a laid back kid who had fried too many brain cells drinking straight rum out of a flask and smoking way too much weed, but he was always the one that greeted Callie, along with two of his friend.

Gina, who was a punk girl who always wore either a Sex Pistols, Blink-182 or Sum 41 t-shirt whose hair was dyed black and she also wore a nose ring and thick framed glasses. And then there was Jimmy, who always wore sunglasses and never spoke. Callie's only ever heard speak about three times, he just didn't like to talk, even though Callie knew he had so much to say. He was always writing in his notebook and from what Callie could tell, it was pretty deep stuff.

"Hey Windel, how's it going?" Callie asked.

Windel shrugged and looked around, his eye glassed over. He was high, "It's goin' a'right. I got grounded last night. My Pops found my stash of grass in my backpack," Windel then chuckled, "Hey… That kinda rhymed."

Callie rolled her eyes, "Sorry about that, Windel. You know where Chris is?"

Windel nodded, "He said 'e had ta' go to the bathroom. He should be back any minute now."

Callie nodded and adjusted her bag over his shoulders, "Thanks Windel," Callie then marched past him, saying hello to Gina and Jimmy on the way through. She opened the back door and stepped inside the empty hall, looking down towards the men's restroom.

She slowly marched down the hall and came to a stop in front of the boy's bathroom, and as soon as she got there, Chris came stumbling out of the bathroom, tripping over his own two feet. Callie held back a giggle and looked up at him.

"Hey Chris," She smiled and he looked down at her, but he didn't smile back. He seemed anxious.

"Callie, I'm worried," He suddenly said, looking around nervously, "I haven't seen Casper today."

Callie rolled her eyes and kept the smile on her face, "You probably scared him off. You gave him quite a beating yesterday."

Chris nodded, "That's what I'm worried about. What if he's plotting revenge?"

Callie rolled her eyes once more and smiled smugly, "You're overreacting."

"Am I Callie? Am I?" Chris asked, raising his voice.

Callie fought the urge not to laugh as she grabbed Chris's hand, "Yes, you are. Come on, I'll prove it to you."

Chris furrowed his brow, "How?"

Callie started dragging her boyfriend down the hall as he stumbled behind her, his hand loose in her grasp, "We're going to go find Casper."

0-0-0-0-0

This was a bad idea, Chris knew it was. Callie found Casper pretty easily. He was sitting by himself in the lunchroom, his hand holding his head up as he looked like he could fall asleep at any minute.

"See, he's just sitting there," Callie said, "He doesn't look like he's plotting any kind of evil scheme to get back at you. In all honesty, he's probably scared too. You can be pretty tough when you want to be."

Chris nodded, unbelieving, "Yeah? Well so can he!"

"Chris," Callie looked up at him, starting to get slightly annoyed by this, "He didn't stand a chance against you yesterday. You had him beat. I don't think he's going to fight back."

Chris looked across the lunchroom at him, "I don't know… I still don't believe you."

Callie sighed and frowned, grabbing Chris's hand again, "Then come on, follow me," She then started dragging Chris across the lunchroom over to his former bully.

They got there pretty quickly, as Callie was wasting no time. They stopped in front of Casper's table where he sat alone and stared down at him. He didn't seem to notice them approach him, so Callie had to say something.

"Hey Casper," Callie said suddenly, causing the boy at the table to flinch.

Casper looked up at Chris and Callie, looking incredibly tired, and glared at them, "What do you guys want?"

Callie released Chris's hand and crossed her arms over her chest, "Chris is afraid you're going to get back at him for he did yesterday. So could you please tell him you're not going to do that so we can just go about our day?"

Casper looked up at Callie and then at Chris and then back at Callie, "Why? It's betta' if e's scared a' me."

Callie raised an eyebrow, "How is that better?"

Casper looked over at Chris again. He was looking around nervously, his hand grabbing his wrist as he scratched at it anxiously, not making eye contact with anyone. Casper then looked back up at Callie before averting anyone's gaze completely and looking down at the food tray on the table in front of him.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered, but over the loud chattering of all the kids in the cafeteria, neither Callie nor Chris could hear him.

"What was that?" Callie asked, not in the mood to be nice to him. Why should she be anyway? He's bullied Chris forever.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Casper whispered harshly as he glared up at Callie.

Callie and Chris both looked at him, a little taken aback. Casper never apologized, he found enjoyment in watching other people wallow in sadness. He liked making people feel bad.

"You're sorry?!" Callie cried, surprised. A few tables around the three of them got quiet and looked over towards them, interested in the ensuing drama as most high school kids were.

Casper looked around and then sent Callie a warning glare, "Would ye' keep yer voice down? I don't want everybody ta' hear!"

Callie ignored him and glared down at him as Chris spoke, "You're not sorry! You've bullied me since fourth grade! You're the one that turned everyone against me! You're the reason everybody here thinks I'm a freak!"

Casper was clenching his fists which were barely visible under his much too big jacket. His jaw was clenched as he avoided looking at anybody. He almost seemed embarrassed. He probably was, with all these people watching him get yelled at by Chris. First he was humiliated yesterday by getting beat up and now this. Not much more could go wrong this week, and it was only Wednesday.

"I know," Casper said quietly, his voice weak.

Callie almost felt bad for him, but she also didn't. He kind of deserved all of this. He was a dick.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" Chris asked, his frustration still evident, "It's kind of hard to get mad at you when you're just letting me do it!"

Casper glanced up at Chris, his brown eyes glassy. He glared at Chris then reached down and grabbed his backpack off the ground behind his chair and stood up, throwing the bag over his shoulder before he pushed past Chris and Callie, his head tilted down so he didn't make eye contact with anyone as he rushed out of the cafeteria.

Callie looked up at Chris and he looked down at her in confusion as they both spun around to watch Casper go. They watched as he pushed open the doors to the cafeteria and rush out.

"Wait to go, Chris," A boy from behind them suddenly said. The two turned around and came face to face with as a smaller kid. He had golden colored hair and dark eyes like Chris's and he wore a smile on his face. This was the kid that was rooting for Chris yesterday during the fight, "Casper hasn't messed with anyone today. I think you finally knocked some sense into him. It was probably that blow to the eye."

Chris raised an eyebrow and looked down at the kid who was sitting on the table, "I didn't hit him in the face."

The other kid furrowed his brow and looked at Chris funny, "Yeah, you did. He's got a black eye, didn't you see it? You busted his lip, too."

Chris looked away from the kid and thought for a minute before he looked down at Callie, who was gazing up at him curiously.

"What is it, Chris?" Callie asked, putting a hand on his arm.

Chris thought for another minute before he suddenly spun around and started towards the cafeteria doors where Casper previously went.

"Chris, wait up!" Callie called, jogging to catch up with her best friend.

When she caught up with Chris they both ran out of the cafeteria and Chris looked down the hall, but it was empty. He started down the hall to where the men's restroom was and peeked inside, seeing if Casper had gone in there. A moment later he peeked his head out of the door and grabbed Callie's hand, "He's in here."

Callie raised an eyebrow, "Okay, so—Chris!" She cried as he pulled her into the bathroom.

Callie stumbled in after Chris, a little annoyed by him at the moment.

Casper suddenly looked up from where he was at the sink, looking in the mirror and looked over at Callie and Chris, a look of annoyance on his face as he pointed at Callie, "What is she doin' in here!"

"That's what I want to know," Callie snapped as she pulled her hand out of Chris's and smoothed her shirt of wrinkles.

"Who else beat you up, Casper?" Chris suddenly asked, causing Callie to look up at him in alarm.

"What?!" Casper suddenly cried, glaring at Chris angrily.

"Chris!" Callie smacked him on the arm roughly, giving him a scolding look.

"You've got a black eye," Chris kept on, "I didn't hit you in the face."

Casper just continued to glare at Chris, "Yeah ye' did."

Chris shook his head, "No, I didn't. Did somebody else beat you up?"

"No!" Casper snapped, clenching his fists and taking a daring step closer to Chris, "Ye' got one black eye, ye' want the utta' one ta' match?!"

Chris didn't even flinch at his threat as he normally would, but Casper did raise a fist, which made Callie flinch. She grabbed Chris's arm and tried pulling him out of the bathroom, away from Casper, "Chris, come on, don't fight again. He's not worth it."

Casper glanced at Callie and she saw something flicker in his eyes. Anger? Annoyance? No, neither of those things. Hurt. It was hurt.

Casper lowered his fists and turned away from the two standing before him, grabbing the edge of the sink so tight his knuckles turned white.

"Just leave me alone," Casper snapped, avoiding the two's gaze.

"Was it Doug?" Chris asked, taking a step closer to Casper, "He's always pushing me around."

"It wasn't Doug," Casper snapped, "Would you two please just leave?"

"Then who was it? Victor?" Chris kept asking questions. He just had a weird feeling about this.

"Nobody beat me up, Chris! What can't ye' undastand 'bout that?!" Casper snapped, glaring at Chris out the corner of his eye.

"Chris…" Callie grabbed his hand, tugging on it, "Maybe we should just go."

Chris looked down at Callie, his brow furrowed, "Somethings wrong."

Callie shook her head, "You can't fix everything, Chris."

Chris looked back up at Casper and then back down at Callie, "Just look at him…"

Callie sighed and looked up across the room at Casper. He was leaning over the sink, his head tilted down as he avoided looking at either of them, but he kept glancing at them out the corner of his eye. He had dark circles under his eyes, dark circles he didn't have yesterday. He seemed paler. He looked tired. He was shaking, just a little, you couldn't tell unless he was still and you were looking at him real close.

Callie looked up at Chris and sighed, giving him a sympathetic look before she suddenly hardened her gaze. She let go of Chris's hand and took several looming steps towards Casper. She moved so quickly neither of the boys had time to act.

She grabbed the sleeve of Casper's nylon blue jacket and pulled him towards her. He turned and looked down at her, giving her an annoyed look.

"What?" He spat, glaring.

"Don't 'what' me," Callie snapped with just as much bite. She asserted the situation in a much tougher demeanor than Chris, maybe she could break Casper, "If you don't tell us what's wrong, I'll give YOU a matching set of black eyes. So talk."

Casper swallowed thickly, but his glare never faltered. He was tough and hard to break. Callie didn't run across that often back home. Then she remembered she was in New York City, there was a lot of tough people here. She'd have to try a little harder.

"I don't have ta' tell ye' nothin'," Casper snapped back, sizing her up, which was making Chris a little anxious.

"Could you two just…" Chris stood beside both of them and put his hands in between them, pushing them back away from each other.

"Tell yer little girlfriend 'ere she needs ta' learn how ta' watch 'er mouth," Casper snapped irritably, "She ain't in no little small town no more. Yer messin' with the big dogs now, sweetheart."

Callie stepped closer to Casper again, making Chris groan in annoyance, "Don't call me sweetheart, sweetheart."

"Don't try an' act all tough when yer not," Casper ordered, glaring hard at Callie.

"Maybe you should take your own advice," Callie snapped. Casper faltered. He dropped his tough guy attitude in a split second. Callie smiled inwardly. She broke him.

Casper stepped back away from Callie and glared at the floor now instead of at Chris or Callie. He sniffed and then spoke, "Why do ye' wanna know so bad?"

Chris stepped over to stand beside Callie, "Because… Your usually the tough guy that doesn't back down from a fight. Yet, here you are. I was so nervous you were going to beat me up today, but instead you're telling me to get away from you. I can tell something's seriously wrong, and that's rare for me."

"Come on, Casper, just spill it," Callie ordered, crossing her arms. She was getting a little tired of this.

Casper sighed and dropped his head, his arms going limp by his sides, "It was Joey, Frankie and Leo."

Chris raised an eyebrow, "But… But I thought they were your friends?"

Casper glared at Chris, "They were nevva' my friends!" He snapped. He was an angry kid, "They jus' kept me 'round 'cause I stole my pop's beer for 'em!"

Chris and Callie stayed quiet as he continued, "And wheneva' my pop's found out about it he'd—" He stopped speaking abruptly and calmed his voice, "Screw it, you guys don't care anyway."

Callie softened her gaze, but kept her arms crossed, "Does your dad hit you, Casper?"

Casper looked up at the younger girl and his brow twitched, he was starting to have a hard time keeping his angry attitude up. It was exhausting sometimes, "Why do you care? Yer just 'ere so ye' can blackmail me lata'."

Callie finally softened her gaze and dropped her arms by her sides, "What? No Casper, I'm not like that. If your dad hits you, that's screwed up."

Casper sniffled and averted their gazes, "He's not my dad. He's my step-dad. I don't know my real dad."

Chris stepped forward a little now, "There's something we have in common."

Casper looked up at that as Callie asked, "Does your mom hit you too?"

Casper gave Callie a look as if she were insane, "No! She'd nevva' do that ta' me!"

"Sorry," Callie said quietly, looking down at her shoes.

Casper dropped his head again and laughed incredulously, "God… I'm pathetic. I have no friends, my dad thinks I'm a losa', my real dad hates me enough ta' not be 'round…"

Callie looked over at Chris for a minute and then down at her shoes again before finally looking up at Casper, "You want to come to lunch with us?"

Casper jerked his head up to meet eyes with Callie, "What?"

Callie shrugged her shoulders nervously, "Do you want to come sit with us at lunch? I noticed you weren't sitting with anybody in the cafeteria, so…"

Casper glared at her again, his soft side not showing for long, "I don't need yer pity, and I certainly don't want pity friends."

Callie shook her head and smiled warmly, "We're not pity friends. I think maybe you're just a mean kid who has a reason to mean. And I mean a real reason. I don't think you're really like that, you just need some real friends to show you that. So I'll ask again, do you want to come to lunch with us?"

Casper looked at Callie for a moment, his features softening quickly before he looked over at Chris, who was looking at him too. He then looked back at Callie and smiled a small smile, "Yeah, why the hell not?"

Callie smiled and Chris even smirked a little as they all departed from the restroom and started down the hallway towards the outdoor eating area.

Callie looked up at Casper and asked, "My mom usually over packs for lunch, so if you want half of my sandwich you can have it."

Casper smiled down at Callie, "Sure… Thanks."

Callie smiled back, "No problem."

Casper looked down at Callie then up at Chris before asking, "So, are you guys really togetha' or is that all for show?"

Callie looked up at Chris and smiled, grabbing a hold of his hand before looking back at Casper, "Yeah, we're really together."

Then Chris and Callie and their newfound friend went to eat lunch together, all of them a little happier than they were an hour ago.

A/N – I bet you guys thought Casper was just an asshole bully. Nope, I've got big plans for him which you will see in the sequel to this. So, Callie and Chris's first kiss was a little awkward, huh? Hope you didn't cringe reading it, I know I did when I was writing it. I was going to change it, but then I thought, a teenagers first kiss is never perfect, so I left it alone. Until next time, have a nice day.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N – Well guys, this is it. The grand finale and holy shit is it long. It is just over 20,000 words long. I really put everything I had into this chapter and I hope it lives up to your expectations. I'll start working on a sequel soon, but I might write another fanfic completely unrelated to this one, just to have something new to write on.

Marla's Lost – Yes, Casper is an abused child, I'll focus more on that in the sequel to this. Thanks for the review.

TieDyeJackson – Thanks for the review. That's what I was trying to do with Casper, try to make him as unlikeable as possible and turn around and make him a misunderstood character.

Disclaimer – Some of the words spoken in this chapter are real words spoken on the day of 9/11, so if anything looks familiar, that's probably why. I don't own That 70's Show or any of it's characters.

Well, thank you guys so much for reading this thing and leaving wonderful reviews, I love you all so much, so thank you. I hope you have a stellar day and let's get onto the chapter, I hope you enjoy.

September 11, 2001

 _Tap, tap, tap!_

Chris heard the quiet tapping on glass early that morning. He cracked open his tired eyes and looked around his dark room. He furrowed his brow and looked over at his alarm clock. It wasn't even six yet. Chris scratched the back of his head and flinched when the tapping started again.

He looked across at his window and saw his newly announced girlfriend outside the window, tapping on it with a mischievous smile on her face.

Chris furrowed his brow further and pushed the covers off of him and quietly got out of bed before he stumbled over to the locked window, rubbing the sleep from his eye.

He reached down and unlocked the window before sliding it open and giving Callie a sleepy glare, "What are you doing here? Did you get into an argument with your mom again?"

Callie smiled and shook her head, "Nope. I'm here to pick you up, we're going on a date."

Chris raised an eyebrow, "A—Callie, it's five thirty in the morning. Where could we possibly go?"

Callie gave Chris a look, the smile still present, "You know exactly where."

Chris sighed and rolled his eyes, "Why can't we go on 'a date' when I'm not trying to sleep?"

Callie leaned her elbows on the windowsill and looked up at Chris sweetly, "Because, it's so much more fun when we have to sneak around."

Chris was still confused, "Why do we have to sneak around?"

"Because we're skipping school today," Callie smiled, "I'm going to teach you how to be a real teenager and be a little rebellious."

"I'm not skipping school," Chris replied seriously, obviously irritated by Callie at the moment.

"Come on, Chris," Callie begged, "You never do anything bad. Why won't you just lighten up?"

Chris gave Callie an offended sort of look, "I can be rebellious."

Callie raised an eyebrow and gave him an unbelieving look, "Really? What have you ever done that's rebellious?"

Chris was silent. Callie smiled in a way that meant she told him so, "Okay, fine! So I don't skip school, sue me!"

Callie snickered, "Come on, Chris. Just one day. It's the beginning of the school year, there's no major testing yet. I think you can skip one day and be just fine."

Chris sighed, "Fine. But only if you buy me breakfast."

Callie smiled, "It's a done deal."

Chris smirked and raised a finger, "And give me a kiss?"

"Don't push it," Callie replied, but she was smiling.

Chris smiled back and turned away from Callie, "Give me second to find a shirt."

Callie didn't even realize he was shirtless. She tried to hide her blush and tried not to look at him as he searched for a shirt to wear. It was kind of hard to look away though. He was lean, but he didn't have any defined muscles, but you could tell he had some strength to him. You could also still see scars on his body, which only made Callie angry, but she tried not to think about it.

After a minute, Chris returned to the window wearing a black button up shirt and a greenish blue jacket over it, his glasses resting loosely on the end of his nose.

Callie smiled up at him and used her finger to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose so he could actually see through them. Chris smiled down at Callie as she stepped back and he climbed through the window, closing it behind him.

After he was out on the fire escape Callie looked up at him and asked, "Did you leave a note?"

Chris shook his head, "No, but I told them yesterday I had an art project due Friday, maybe they'll think I just left early to go work on that?"

Callie nodded, "Okay, sounds good."

"What about you? Did you leave a note for your mom?" Chris asked, fixing his glasses already.

Callie shook her head, "No, but I get in trouble all the time. I'm sure mom will just take away my game boy or something, it'll pass over in a week."

Chris nodded, "That sounds about right."

"Besides, she has a meeting or something today, she probably won't even notice I'm gone," Callie said.

Chris shrugged and nodded before looking down at Callie.

Callie smiled, looking up at Chris before grabbing his hand and standing on her tip toes to give him a kiss. He was taken off guard and a little surprised, but when she pulled away he smiled and blushed as he looked away and giggled like a school girl.

Callie giggled as well. Every time she did something sort of romantic he did this. She thought it was cute. Callie tightened her grip on Chris's hand and down the fire escape they went.

0-0-0-0-0

Callie and Chris got to their place in the park a little bit after six o'clock that morning. They both stood atop the rock and looked across the water at the World Trade Center. It was really pretty from over here.

The two sat on the rock and looked at the beautiful scenery before them as Callie spoke, "How's Eric been?"

Chris tensed up a little and looked down at his hands in his lap, "Um… Better, I think. He had a panic attack a couple days ago, but I think that was just stress. He seems happy lately, actually."

Callie smiled, "Well, that's good."

Chris nodded and smiled a little, "Yeah."

Callie smiled smugly, "You think it's got anything to do with Jackie?"

Chris nodded and looked over at Callie, "Yeah. I've actually been meaning to tell you something…"

Callie looked up at Chris and raised an eyebrow, "She's not pregnant is she?"

Chris furrowed his brow, "What? No. No, that's not it," He said before smiling again, "Eric told me last night that she asked him to marry her a couple of weeks ago."

Callie raised her eyebrows and gaped, "What?! What did he say? Did he say yes?"

Chris smiled brighter, "Yep."

Callie smiled a bright, wide smile, "Oh my God! That's amazing!"

Chris nodded his head in agreement, "I know. They want to get married in the spring. April probably."

Callie relaxed her shoulders and sighed contently, "This is so cool. Oh, I can't wait now!"

Chris chuckled at Callie's reaction and looked down at her hand. He wanted to hold it but was afraid she'd reject him. He doesn't know why he thinks that would happen, they're boyfriend and girlfriend now. He just wasn't used to it, maybe.

So the two just sat there together for the next hour or so, just talking about random little things. Eventually, the school buses started running and you could see kids with backpacks walking through the park.

It was at this time Callie decided it was time for breakfast.

"Come Chris, let's go back into town, I'm getting kind of hungry," Callie remarked, standing and grabbing Chris's hand, pulling him up along with her.

Chris nodded as he stood and brushed his pants off of dirt, "Where do you want to eat?"

Callie shrugged, "I'm sure we'll find something."

Callie then tugged Chris down the rock and they wandered over to the path before they crossed back over the bridge back into Manhattan.

0-0-0-0-0

"I heard this place has pretty good waffles," Callie said, folding her hands in her lap as she watched Chris cross his legs, then she giggled, "You look like a little kid."

Chris raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"You always sit like that, no matter where it is," Callie smiled. There was some weird things she liked about him, "It's cute for some reason."

Chris smiled and blushed a little, "Thanks?"

Callie giggled again, "Don't mention it."

Chris then looked down at his menu and started debating what he should have for breakfast. Callie had already decided what she wanted, waffles, scrambled eggs and bacon. So as Chris decided what he wanted, Callie looked out the window.

It was a little past seven-thirty now. Callie knew she and Chris would be tired tonight, they never got up this early, but it was kind of fun taking a day off every now and again.

Callie watched as people walked down the streets, people of so many different backgrounds. That's what she loved about New York, it was very cultural. Chris lived in a part of town where there were a lot of Italian's, he was one of them. Callie lived a few blocks away and in her building there a lot of Hispanic people, and a lot of them spoke Spanish and only Spanish. Jackie lived in a building with mostly European's. Her neighbor was American but his parents were Polish immigrants, and her other neighbor was from Ireland. He was tall and charming and he wore glasses. He was an English professor at a nearby university. Callie had a childish crush on him, but that was all.

Callie had one neighbor she disliked and her name was Noemi. She was the only Italian-American in the building and she thought it was funny to harass Callie as she left for school in the mornings. This girl was brutal and sometimes she actually did hurt Callie's feelings, but Callie tried to ignore her and decided against telling Chris, knowing how protective he could be.

Callie sighed as she looked out the window and spotted a familiar face. Speaking of annoying Italian's.

"I'll be right back, Chris," Callie said, putting a hand on his arm before jumping out of her seat and running to the door.

Chris only nodded in acknowledgment, not even looking up to see what she was up to.

Callie burst out the door and skid to a stop as several people pushed her out of the way, but she fought back against them. She stood in the middle of the sidewalk and waited for the familiar face to recognize her.

She saw him pushing past a much taller man, his face wearing a scowl, "Watch where yer going, man! I've got places ta' be!"

Callie snickered at his attitude and grabbed his arm when he just kept walking. She pulled him over to the wall, out of the way of oncoming traffic and smiled up at him, "How's it going, Casper?"

The slightly older boy looked down at Callie, his face still wearing a scowl, but he lightened up a little when he saw her, "Can ye' believe these people? Disrespectful, I'll tell ye'."

Callie rolled her eyes and tugged on his sleeve, "It's a workday, what'd you expect? Sunshine and lollypops?"

Casper glared down at Callie, "That'd be nice!"

Callie laughed and pulled her new friend towards the door, "Come inside, me and Chris are getting breakfast."

"I've got ta' get ta' school or my 'ol man 'll kill me," Casper replied, trying to fight against her.

"I'm paying," Callie bribed and Casper suddenly smiled smugly.

"You've gotta way with people, Miss Shankar," Casper remarked sarcastically as he was pulled into the diner.

"My last name's Dubashi, Casper," Callie corrected him, even though she knew he was joking.

"Yer buyin' me breakfast, I'll call ye' whateva' ye' want, Miss Dusbashi," Casper mocked as he was pulled over to the counter where Chris was still sitting.

As the two sat down Chris looked over at them and smirked a little, "Hey Casper."

"How's it goin', Chris?" Casper asked as he grabbed Callie's unused menu and started looking for something good to eat.

Callie looked over at Casper and made him look at her, "Now just because I'm paying doesn't mean you need to buy the most expensive thing on the menu."

Casper rolled his eyes, "A'right, I gotcha."

Callie smiled and rolled her eyes before turning back to wait for the waitress to come around. Callie then sat back and relaxed, beginning to enjoy her day off.

0-0-0-0-0

It was nearly eight that morning that both Jackie and Eric were about to head to work. It was Tuesday so Jackie wasn't expecting much business, but Eric had a meeting again today and was a little nervous as he had to present his collage of photos, but Jackie knew he'd do great.

"Wish me good luck?" Eric asked as he fixed his shirt as he prepared to leave, his folder of photos in hand.

Jackie smiled, "You'll do great, Eric. I know it."

Eric smiled back at her. Eric looked a little better than he did a couple weeks ago. He gained a couple pounds, putting him up to about 127 pounds. His goal weight was about 145 pounds, so he was getting there. He wasn't as pale either and he hasn't a grand mal seizure in almost a month, which meant one was coming up, but that was a good thing, because he was having those more often then he should, he's back on track now.

Jackie fixed the collar of Eric's shirt and stood on her tip-toes as she kissed him. He smiled against her lips before they pulled away.

Jackie smoothed his shirt of wrinkles before smiling, "Good luck."

"Thanks," Eric smiled back as they stepped away from each other, "I love you."

Jackie smiled back and watched Eric go towards the door, "I love you, too."

Jackie watched as Eric swung the front door open and prepared to leave, but not before turning around and jokingly blowing Jackie a kiss.

Jackie giggled, "You're a dork."

Eric gave her a look, "You better catch it!"

Jackie smiled and 'caught' his kiss and put it in her pocket, "There, I got it."

Eric smiled sweetly, "Good. I'll see you later."

"See ye'," Jackie smiled and laughed a little as Eric left the apartment, shutting the door firmly behind him.

After he was gone, Jackie sighed and decided she should probably go find her purse and keys. She did her morning routine before work by brushing her teeth, double checking her hair, grabbing her purse and finding the keys.

Just as she was about to leave the phone rang. Jackie sighed and went to go pick it up, fearing she'd be late for work depending on this is. She probably should have just ignored it, "Hello?"

"Hi, is this Chris Cuomo's guardian?" The person on the other end asked.

Jackie furrowed her brow before she lied, "Yes. Is he okay?"

"As far as we know, we were just calling to ask if he's feeling sick or anything of the sort. He didn't show up to school today," The man said, sounding genuinely concerned, and he should be. It was unlike Chris to just miss school.

Jackie furrowed her brow further before saying, "Um, just one second."

Jackie placed the phone down on the table and went down the hall to go to Chris's room. She opened the door and peered inside, "Chris? Are you in here?"

She looked around the room. His bed was empty and unmade, as usual, but there was no sign of Chris. Jackie sighed nervously and went back to the phone, picking it up, "He's not in his room. Are you sure he didn't turn up for school today?"

"Yes, his first class just started and he's not there," The man replied, "And we've checked the art room, which is where he usually would be, but he's not there either."

Jackie was a little concerned now.

"What's going on?" A sleepy voice suddenly spoke.

Jackie looked up and saw Chris's mom standing before her, her arms crossed over her chest, her pink bathrobe dragging across the floor.

Jackie ignored her and went back to talking to the man on the phone as a thought popped into her head, "Um, he probably went to the park and he's running a little late, I'll go get him. Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine."

The man on the other end sounded unsure, but agreed and after telling Jackie to have a nice day he hung up. Jackie ended the call and set the phone back down.

"Is everything alright?" Barbara asked, causing Jackie to remember she wasn't alone in the room.

Jackie turned to look at Chris's mother. Barbara's eyes were barely opened and under them were dark circles, she was really thin and sickly, probably a result of the drugs she uses on a regular basis.

"Chris didn't show up for school today," Jackie said, grabbing her purse and keys off the table.

Barbara furrowed her brow and rubbed her eye sleepily, "What? That's not like him."

Jackie nodded, "Yeah, I know," Jackie started towards the door, "I'll find him, I'm sure he's fine. He's probably with Callie."

Barbara nodded, "Well, okay… Just… Make sure he's okay, alright?"

Jackie sent Barbara a reassuring look and nodded, "Don't worry, I'm sure Chris is perfectly fine."

And with that, Jackie went out the door, leaving Barbara in the apartment all by herself.

0-0-0-0-0

"Thanks fer breakfast, Callie," Casper smiled as the three left the diner, Casper patting his full belly, "It was delicious."

"No problem," Callie replied, smiling as she watched Chris mess with his video camera lens, "Chris you've been fiddling with that thing all morning, would you give it a rest?"

Chris furrowed his brow and pursed his lips as he twisted the lens, "Sorry, nervous habit, I guess."

Callie rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, Chris holding his video camera in his other hand, "Come on, let's go do something else."

"What's the plan, anyway?" Casper asked, skipping along behind Chris and Callie, "We just gonna wander 'round all day or what?"

The three stopped in the middle of the sidewalk as Chris turned his camera on and pointed it up towards the sky, holding it up to his eye so he could get a clear view.

"I don't know, what do you want to do?" Callie asked as Chris became distracted.

Casper shrugged, "There's a new skate park in Brooklyn, we could go there?"

Callie gave Casper a look, "I don't know how to skate. And neither does Chris."

"Yeah I do," Chris suddenly said as he continued looking up at the sky.

Both Callie and Casper looked at Chris, both of them surprised, "Ye' do?" Casper asked in shock.

Chris adjusted the zoom in his camera before nodding, "Yeah, Eric taught me when I was little. He used to take me to the skate park in Queens. You know, the really nice one?"

"What do ye' know, we learn somethin' new every day," Casper smiled, looking up at the sky where Chris was looking.

Callie was about to speak when something cut her off, "Callie! Chris!"

All three of the teenagers looked around and saw a very angry Jackie Burkhart storming towards them, "Uh-oh," Callie said, all the kids become very stiff, awaiting what Jackie had to say.

"I've been all the way across town looking for you," Jackie snapped.

"Did you check the park in Staten Island?" Callie asked sarcastically.

Jackie pointed a stern finger at Callie, "I'm not in the mood for your smart ass attitude right now, Callie. I'm late for work and you two need to go to school," Jackie then looked at Casper who was awkwardly standing next to Callie, his face pale and his eyes wide, "Who are you?"

Casper held his hand out, "I'm Casper."

Callie looked down at the boy's hand, almost in disgust. He was greasy looking, as if he never showered but he reeked of cologne, "Casper? Aren't you the kid that Chris beat up?"

Casper dropped his hand and scowled, "Hey, I landed a few punches in there myself, thank ye' very much."

"He's our friend now," Callie said, wrapping an arm around Casper and smiling charmingly.

"That's great and all, but you two still need to get to school," Jackie snapped, looking down at her watch very impatiently, "I'm sure your parents would like that very much as well, Casper. So, let's go."

Jackie grabbed both Callie and Casper and pushed them ahead of her and then she looked back at Chris, who was still pointing his camera up at the sky.

"Chris, let's go," Jackie said, reaching to grab him.

"Does that plane seem a little low to you?" Chris suddenly asked, making sure it wasn't just his zoom, but his zoom was all the way out.

Jackie, Callie and Casper all looked up towards the sky and see a passenger plane a little lower than it should be.

They watched as it flew through the sky and in a split second it crashed into the higher floors of the World Trade Center. The ground seemed to shake as it happened and they watched a huge ball of fire fly out of the impact zone.

"Holy shit!" Casper yelled, staring up at the crash zone in awe.

Chris dropped his camera and covered his ears, causing Callie and Jackie to look at him in alarm. Jackie reached down and picked up his camera as Callie stood in front of Chris.

"Hey, it's alright," Callie soothed, grabbing Chris's wrists and pulling his hands away from his ears. When he could hear again the world around him was filled people screaming, people swearing, and people getting out of their cars to see what happened.

Chris looked around for a moment, taking in everything before he looked up at the North Tower which was ablaze.

"Jackie?" Chris suddenly asked as Jackie dusted off Chris's camera, making sure it wasn't broken.

"Yeah?" Jackie asked, a little out of it as she peered up at the North Tower.

"Where was Eric's presentation today?" Chris asked, unable to tear his eyes away from the tower.

"It was—" Jackie suddenly stopped talking as she gazed up at the tower and felt tears threaten her eyes, "Oh God no!"

Casper spun around when he the commotion and cast the group a concerned look, "What happened?"

Callie looked over at Jackie as she visibly shook, her knees becoming weak, and then she looked over at Chris, who also looked as if he were going to cry.

"Jackie," Callie said, stepping over to the crying woman, "Did Eric ever say which floor the meeting was on?"

Jackie sniffled and nodded, not being able to stop the tears from flowing from her eyes, "Y-yeah, he wrote it down… I can't remember, though. It was in fifties I think."

Callie nodded and looked up at the building, "Well, that's well below the crash, see? That's at least thirty floors below it. He's okay, I'm sure of it. Eric's a tough guy, he'll be fine. Don't worry."

Jackie tried to believe Callie, she really did, but it was just hard since she didn't know exactly which floor Eric was on, she just guessed. She was sure it was in the fifties but she wasn't one hundred percent sure.

"Callie, I thought your mom had a meeting or something today?" Chris asked, grabbing his camera from Jackie's hands and pointing it back up at the building, trying to get a clear view of it as smoke poured out from the giant gaping hole in the side of the building.

Callie nodded, "She did, it was in the South Tower. She had to sign papers or something so she could purchase a building in Soho to open another record shop."

"Oh, alright," Chris said, zooming into the blast zone.

At this moment, the group only thought of this as a horrible plane crash and nothing else.

"Are you kids alright?" Jackie suddenly broke the tense silence, trying to pull herself together.

Callie nodded along with Casper as Chris continued filming the event as it happened. Jackie grabbed Chris's sleeve and pulled on it, trying to get his attention, "Chris, are you alright?"

Chris looked down at Jackie and nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine," Then he went back to filming.

Jackie sighed and looked down at the kids and then up at the building. They all just stood there for a long time, none of them keeping track of the time. There were people around them all doing the same thing. Some people were talking to each other, some were cursing, some were crying, and some were in shock.

"Did ye' see that?" Casper suddenly spoke as a man walked over to them, standing beside Casper. He was a round man with a baby face, but you could tell he was older, probably a little older than Eric and Jackie.

"I heard it!" The man replied, looking around at Jackie, Callie and Chris, who was still filming, "It's a shame man, there's people that are up there dead. I just came from that buildin' a half an hour ago. Half an hour ago, I was on the forty-third floor."

"Damn…" Casper said under his breath, putting a hand across his mouth, looking on at the grim scene.

"Ye' think it could be terrorists?" Casper suddenly asked, garnering the attention of everybody there except Chris, who was off in his own little world.

"It could be terrorists. Ye' never know," The man replied, looking back up at the building, "But I don't think so… I heard the impact and I looked out my window and saw these papa's flyin' 'round everywhere and I thought that was weird, and then I looked up and saw that and, and I couldn't believe my eyes!"

"I didn't see it come out the utta' end, ye' think it's just sittin' in there, or… Maybe it turned to ash or somethin'?" Casper suggested.

Chris shook his head, "No, it's probably still in there. It's probably just broken apart."

"So many people were up there," Jackie said, covering her mouth, trying not to think of Eric being up there.

Chris looked down at his watch, "Well, it's not quite nine o'clock, maybe not everybody's up there yet?"

"Yeah, that's a good point," Callie said, crossing her arms over her chest.

The group then stood there in silence for another few minutes, all of them in shock and awe at the sight before them. Chris zoomed out a little bit to view both towers when there was suddenly an explosion in the other building, creating a loud noise and causing the ground to shake.

"Another one?!" Casper cried, "What was that?!"

Chris dropped his arms by his sides, still holding his camera, not bothering to cover his ears this time, even if he really wanted to. He watched as another fire ball, maybe larger than the last, exploded around the side of the South Tower.

He heard Jackie scream out and saw her fall to her knees out the corner of his eye, he then heard her start sobbing.

"Oh God!" Jackie cried, sobbing loudly as she started to jumble all her words together.

Chris couldn't tear his eyes away from the flaming towers, the towers he always loved. The towers Eric used to take him to the park to watch when he was little, the towers he went to see every day, the towers he took Callie to see every day at their spot in the park. Both of them up in flames, the two things he loved most about this city was the view of those two towers, the city that would never be the same without them.

"Chris! Can you hear me?! Chris!" Suddenly he broke out of his trance and looked down to see Casper yelling at him and pulling on his arm.

"Huh?" Chris asked, a little in shock, his eyes expressionless.

"Callie! She's upset!" Casper cried, pointing down at Callie, who was on her knees in tears.

Chris tore his eyes away from Casper and looked down at Callie, everything around him suddenly seeming not so muffled. His breath hitched in his throat and he suddenly handed his camera to Casper and dashed over to Callie's side.

Chris kneeled down in front of Callie and forced himself to look her in the eye as he grabbed her hands, "Callie? Are you okay? Callie?"

Callie was sobbing horribly as she pulled one her hands out of Chris's and pointed up at the South Tower, "My mom was on the seventy-third floor!"

Chris looked up at the tower and fought the tears in his eyes, wanting to be the strong one here. Both Jackie and Callie were in shambles, and Casper didn't seem to stable either. Chris tore his eyes away from the towers once more and grabbed Callie's hands again.

"Callie, look at me!" Chris cried. He felt a little weird, it was usually her telling him to do that, "Callie!"

Callie looked up at Chris, tears like a never ending stream as Chris went on, "Your mom is fine, I promise you! No one's tougher than your mom, and you know that! I know you're scared and worried about her, I'm worried about Eric, but we can't just sit on the street! We have to keep moving, we can't be down here this close to the towers! I already see police up ahead telling people to leave, so come on! You have to get up!"

Chris stood, pulling Callie up with him and as soon as they were standing Callie buried her face in Chris's chest, wrapping her arms around his center. Chris has never seen Callie cry before. She was always so tough and never let anything bother her. She was usually his shoulder to cry on, not the other way around.

Chris wrapped his arms around Callie, trying to comfort her as she left tear stains on his shirt. Chris looked over his shoulder at the smoldering twin towers and felt his eyes burn with unshed tears. This was the worst thing he has ever witnessed in his entire life, and he was sure there was nothing else that would ever scar him like this is now.

Chris looked back over towards his group and saw Jackie on the ground crying still and Casper filming the towers on Chris's camera, still talking to that middle aged man.

"There's a guy up there, in the North Towa'," Casper said, using the zoom, "He's wavin' a towel or somethin' out the window."

"That second explosion, I just saw it on the news in the shop window, it was anudda plane!" The middle-aged man said.

"No…" Callie sobbed quietly, as if she couldn't believe it.

"Get outta here!" Casper cried, looking over at the man behind him, unbelieving, "Yer tellin' me two planes hit the buildin's?"

"Two planes!" The man nodded, holding up to fingers.

"It's terrorists," Chris said, which made Callie and Jackie sob harder. Chris tightened his arms around Callie as she kept her face buried in his shirt.

"Yeah, it's terrorist's a'right," Casper said, fixing the zoom on the camera again, "No doubt. No doubt…"

"Casper," Chris called, trying to garner the attention of the distracted and in shock boy.

Casper looked away from the buildings and looked towards Chris, "Can you come here for a minute?"

Casper looked down at the camera in his hand and turned it off before stepping over to Chris, wondering what it was he wanted.

"I've got to check on Jackie, can you…?" He trailed, tilting his head down to Callie.

Casper nodded and Chris had to forcefully remove Callie from his body, "Callie, I've got get to Jackie, okay? Casper's right here, alright?"

Callie nodded and tried to stop crying, wiping her eyes of tears. Chris finally released Callie and stepped around to go over to Jackie. Callie stood there by herself for only a moment before Casper put a hand on her shoulder, unsure of what he was supposed to do at this point.

"Hey, ye' a'right?" Casper asked, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly.

Callie nodded, but they both knew that was a lie. Suddenly Callie wrapped Casper in a hug, which surprised him and he didn't know how to react. His arms were out behind her back, neither of them wrapping around her to offer comfort, "Um…"

"Just hold me, Casper," Callie ordered, her voice coated with bitterness, which Casper could understand. Her mother was in one of those blazing building over there.

Casper wrapped his arms firmly around Callie and relaxed into the hug, resting his cheek on the top of her head as she resumed crying.

"Jackie?" Chris spoke as he knelt down beside Jackie, "Are you alright?"

Jackie looked up at Chris, her face red as tears streamed down her cheeks, "Do I look alright, Chris?! My fiancé's in one of those towers and—" She stopped abruptly to resume sobbing, "I'm sorry… What am I saying? Your dad's in one of those towers. You must be feeling horrible right now."

Chris grabbed Jackie's arm, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. We need to get moving though, okay? We should probably head home, it's safer there."

Jackie nodded in agreement, "Yeah," She sniffed, "You're right. It probably is… Come on, help me up."

Chris helped Jackie stand. After she was stood she brushed herself off and looked towards Casper and Callie, "Come on guys, let's go. Let's get somewhere safe."

Callie and Casper slowly peeled apart and Callie wiped her eyes of tears, even though they kept coming as she started to follow a still crying Jackie down the sidewalk, away from the towers.

They only got a few steps away when a woman cried, "Bush is on the TV makin' an address!"

Casper took off to go look into the shop window and saw the president standing behind a podium, his expression solemn, his knuckles white as he gripped the sides of the podium, his eyes showing nothing short of fear, anger and sadness.

 _"_ _Today, we've had a national tragedy,"_ He started solemnly, _"Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country,"_ People standing around the shop window started chattering about this statement as the president continued, _"I have spoken to the Vice President, to the Governor of New York, to the Director of the FBI, and I've ordered that the full resources of the federal government go to help the victims and their families and to conduct a full scale investigation to hunt down and to find those folks that committed this act. Terrorism against our nation will not stand. And now, if you'll join me in a moment of silence…"_

Everybody around the TV got quiet but no one bowed their head, they just looked at the TV in shock as the other TV's began to play something else.

 _"_ _May God bless the victims, their families, and America, thank you very much,"_ The president said as he gathered up some papers on top of the podium and walked down, the people in the room with him clapping as he exited the room with secret service men and several other political figures.

Everyone just stood there in shock as this was officially confirmed as a terrorist attack. Everybody already assumed that it was, but hearing it come from the president's mouth was a whole other deal.

The TV went on the play the news which was showing the same exact thing that they could see if they just looked up.

Jackie's head was spinning with so many different thoughts. Was Donna okay? Was Eric okay? Were the people above the crash sights okay? What about below them? What about their families? Would any of those people be rescued? Would Eric and Donna be rescued? Eric couldn't die, they just got engaged and he's been through so much. This couldn't happen to him, not now, not after everything life's thrown at him. Jackie had so much more to tell him, she couldn't comprehend the fact that he could possibly die in that tower, this all just seemed so unreal.

"We need ta' get outta here," Casper said, but his eyes never looked away from the TV, where you could see a closer view of the World Trade Center as smoke poured out from it.

Chris was also looking at the TV as he held Callie under his arm, holding her close as her arms wrapped around his waist, her head resting on his chest as she too looked at the TV.

 _"_ _We've got some more breaking news,"_ The news anchor suddenly said, making everybody turn towards the TV again, all of them wondering how this could possibly get worse, _"A commercial airplane has just crashed into the Pentagon, I repeat, a commercial airplane has just crashed into the Pentagon. Just when I thought this day couldn't get any worse, folks… Jesus Christ…"_

Everybody around the TV let out gasps of shock. Callie started crying again and Chris held her tighter as Casper watched in shock. Jackie couldn't cry anymore, it was like her body wouldn't allow it. She was in shock now.

There was no way this could get worse. At least, that's what they thought.

Jackie didn't know what to do. She could take the kids to her place, but even then she didn't think it was safe. Was anywhere safe anymore? The very country they thought would always protect them and keep them out of harm's way has been attacked and the terrorists that did it made it look so easy. That's what really scared Jackie.

Chris rubbed Callie's back, trying to comfort the crying girl as best as he could. Jackie continued to stand on the sidewalk in shock, the only movement she was doing was her heavy breathing and her trembling body. Casper walked into the street, holding Chris's camera and pointing it up the towers again. He zoomed in but when he saw what he saw he immediately took the camera away from his eye and watched the scene unfold with his own eyes.

"Holy shit…" He said under his breath, his face showing nothing but horror, "There's people jumpin' out of the buildin's!"

Chris and Callie turned to look at him and then up at the towers. Chris thought those things falling from the towers was just debris, but no, those were people.

"Jesus…" Chris muttered as Callie hid her face in his shirt, Chris wrapping both his arms around her shoulders, as if it would keep her out of harm's way.

Chris couldn't tear his eyes away from the towers as he watched the tiny specs fall to the ground. Casper was pale, his body had started to tremble.

"They're jumpin' to their fuckin' deaths…" He said to himself a little too loudly, throwing his hands up, "Why the hell would they do that?!"

"Casper…" Chris suddenly said, looking over at his friend.

Casper tore his eyes away from the building finally and looked over at Chris, who was giving him a sympathetic look.

"How bad does it have to be up there for those people to decide to jump rather than stay in the building?" Callie sobbed at that horrific thought.

Casper looked down at the girl and then up at Chris again as Chris spoke, "The people above the fire aren't going to be able to get out."

Callie cried harder as Casper sent Chris an incredulous, almost angry look, "How do you know that?! Huh?!"

Chris gazed softly at Casper, "The planes destroyed parts of the towers, I'm assuming it also destroyed the stairwells and elevators."

Casper suddenly peeled his eyes away and put a hand to his stomach. Chris cast him a funny look as he raised an eyebrow, "Casper? Are you alright?"

Casper stumbled forward, slapping the camera into Chris's hand, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Casper then stepped into the alley between the shop and small diner and threw up all over the trash bags by the dumpster.

Jackie came back to reality a little bit when she heard the commotion behind her. She turned around and saw Chris and Callie enveloped in each other's arms and Casper hunched over throwing up into the alley.

Jackie stepped forward a little bit and put a hand on the teenager's back, trying to sooth him as he emptied his stomach of the breakfast he ate a little over an hour ago.

Callie and Chris had to move out of street when they heard the sirens of a firetruck and police car. They moved onto the sidewalk and watched as the two vehicles stormed past them at lightning speed.

Everybody around them were either watching the news, on the phone, or listening to the radio.

"I jus' heard there was anudda highjacked plane," A woman on the street said, "A 757 I think it said. It flew outta San Francisco."

"Anudda one?!" Casper cried, still hunched over before he spit on the ground, trying to rid the foul taste from his mouth, "Has it crashed yet?"

The woman shook her head, looking over at Casper briefly, "No, it's still in the air. They're thinkin' it might go for D.C. Either the White House or The Capital Buildin'."

"Jesus fuckin' Christ…" Casper spat on the ground again, "The world's gone insane."

"Ye' got that right," The woman said, looking back up at the burning twin towers.

Jackie rested her hand on Casper's back and looked down at him, "Are you okay?"

Casper looked over his shoulder at Jackie and nodded, spitting again, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Jackie nodded and looked around the small crowd of people around them, all of their attention focused on the horrific scene before them.

"Does anybody have a cell phone? Anybody?" Jackie asked, looking around frantically.

"'Ere ye' go," A woman with a pager in her hand suddenly spoke, handing Jackie her phone.

Jackie quickly and quietly thanked her before flipping the phone open and starting to dial Eric's house phone. She was hoping Barbara had stayed up long enough to at least flip on the TV, she just wanted to let her know Chris was alright, even if Barbara didn't care.

Jackie held the phone up to her ear and let it ring, waiting and praying Barb would answer. It was actually very quickly that the phone was picked up and Jackie heard Barb's frantic voice on the other end.

"Hello? Chris? Is that you, baby?" She asked, sounding very anxious and worried.

Jackie underestimated her.

"No, it's Jackie," Jackie said, her voice weak.

"Jackie! Is Chris there? Is he safe?" Barb asked, Jackie could hear her fumble with the phone.

"Yes, Chris is here, he's safe," Jackie assured the boy's mother.

She heard Barb sigh on the other end, relieved, "Oh, thank God… What about Callie? Is she alright? Lord knows that girl means so much to him."

Jackie was surprised at how concerned Barb actually was, but she nodded and replied with, "Yes, Callie's fine. They're both here with a friend."

"Thank goodness…" She said, "Tell them to come home. Please. I need him home."

Jackie nodded, "Okay, I'll—"

"Oh my God!" A woman's scream suddenly pierced Jackie's ears.

Jackie turned to look around, to see what was going on, "Run!" A man suddenly yelled and Jackie now saw why. The South Tower was falling down.

Jackie dropped the phone on the pavement and watched it crumble and fall in shock. It's like it just turned to dust.

"Come on!" Her hand was suddenly grabbed by someone else's and the next thing she knew she was being pulled down the street as they ran from the cloud of dust that zoomed towards them at an alarming rate.

Jackie looked ahead, finally coming out of her shock and saw it was Casper who was dragging her along and Chris and Callie were a little bit ahead of them, both of them looking back every now and again to see how close the dust cloud was to them.

They ran for only a few minutes before the dust caught up with them, it was amazing how fast it travelled.

All Jackie could think about in that moment was Barbara, Kitty and Red. The parents. Barbara had the TV on back at the apartment, she probably just watched the tower fall. Jackie never hung up on her either, she just dropped the phone. Barbara's probably crying, thinking they've all just been crushed by the falling debris.

And Kitty and Red. Jackie knew they knew what was going on. They've probably called and left so many messages, trying to find out if Eric was okay and if Donna, Jackie and the kids were as well. Jackie didn't know if Donna was okay, or if Eric was, or even if she and the kids would be.

It was getting hard to see anybody now, it was also hard to hear and breathe. The cloud of dust was overwhelming every sense.

It was only a moment later that Jackie couldn't see anything and panic started to make itself known.

"Chris?! Callie?! Casper?!" She called all the kid's names, worried for each of them.

She was winded, she couldn't breathe. The dust was in her lungs, she didn't know what to do, and panicking didn't help matters any.

"Kids?!"

"Over here!" Callie's small, weak voice suddenly called before Jackie heard coughing.

Jackie stumbled forward, reaching her hands out trying to find the girl. She heard Callie calling for Chris, her voice cracking, she was starting to panic. She was worried she'd lost Chris.

"Chris?! Where are you?!" Callie cried, stumbling around in the thick grey fog.

"Callie!" Jackie cried again, Callie's shouting louder than before, meaning she was getting close, "Callie!"

Then she ran into somebody, "Callie?"

Jackie looked down and saw the form a smaller person and the person grabbed her hands and squeezed them, "It's me, Jackie," Callie said, "Where's Chris? Is he with you? And what about Casper? Where's Casper?"

"We'll find them," Jackie coughed, "But we have to hurry, we've got to get out of this dust."

Callie nodded as Jackie squeezed her hands, "Just don't let go of my hand, okay? Hold on tight."

Callie nodded, "Okay."

Callie hadn't even comprehended what had happened yet, none of them had. Callie felt pain in her body, but she didn't know why. She doesn't remember falling down or anything. Was she hit by something? She doesn't remember. So why did she hurt?

"Chris! Casper!" Jackie cried, and Callie joined in. They both prayed they found them.

Callie heard pained groaning coming from nearby, "Chris?! Casper?! Are you okay?!"

The girls followed the sound of the groaning and almost tripped over the form on the ground when they found them.

"Who's there?" Jackie asked.

"It's me, Casper…" Casper groaned, his voice weak. He sounded in pain.

"Are you alright?" Jackie asked, reaching down to find his hand.

"My legs hurt… Real bad…" He groaned, sounding as if he were going to cry.

"They're not broken, are they?" Jackie asked, praying they weren't.

"Nah, it's a different kinda pain…" The boy groaned again, "It still fuckin' hurts though…"

Jackie reached down and found the boy's hand, "Power through it, we got to move fast."

The dust cloud was getting thicker, they needed to go as fast as they could.

Callie was crying now, "Where's Chris?"

Jackie squeezed her hand, "We'll find him, Callie," Jackie almost didn't believe her own words.

Jackie made Casper grab Callie's hand as they made their way through the fog, "Chris!" They all started yelling, though Casper cussed more than anything, the pain in his legs almost unbearable.

"Please be okay, Chris…" Callie pleaded, praying silently.

"Chris!" Jackie yelled again and thank God he responded.

"Over here!" Chris yelled and Jackie could hear footsteps and also groans of pain, but not as bad as Casper's.

"Chris!" Callie cried in relief.

They kept calling for each other until they found each other, "Thank God you're okay!" Callie cried, tears still falling from her eyes, but in sweet relief now.

"We can hug it out later guys, we need to find a way out of this mess," Jackie suddenly spoke, "Chris, find Casper's hand and hold on tight, I'm leading us out of here."

Chris and Casper fumbled around for a short few seconds before they grabbed ahold of each other's hands. Jackie checked to make sure everybody was still present before she started moving forward. She tried looking through the dust, moving away from the darker colored dust and towards the light, trying to find and alley or street or something where you could see.

They all wandered around aimlessly for a good five minutes and only found the light just in time. They were all coughing, having a hard time breathing. They had covered their mouths and noses with their shirts to try and keep the dust out, but it was still hard to breathe.

Jackie found a street where there was still dust, but it was thinner and you could see clearly. Or more clearly anyway. Jackie sighed in relief and coughed again before turning around to make sure everybody was still with her. They were, but they didn't look the same as they did ten minutes ago.

They were all covered in soot. From head to toe soot was all you saw.

Callie also had blood on her face all coming from a cut on the top of her head somewhere, probably near her hairline. Her arms were also cut up as were her legs. She must of fallen or something. She looked around in shock, her brown eyes wide as tears brewed in them.

Casper had some scrapes on his arms a cut on his face, but there wasn't a lot of blood, only a little bit. Jackie looked down at his legs which he was complaining about just minutes before. They seemed to be burned. Horribly. Jackie doesn't know how that would've happened, but nothing made sense today anyway.

Jackie then looked over at Chris. He had a cut above his eye, it leaked blood down around his eye and nose, some of it trickling down his cheek. He also had a tear in the leg of his pants, but it was only a rip, no blood or scar. The thing that concerned Jackie was the way he was holding his arm. He held it in his right hand, cradling it, as if he had hurt it.

Jackie then looked down at herself. There was no blood, only soot.

How did something like this happen? And why did it happen so easily?

"Come on, guys," Jackie said, waving her hand in the other direction, "Let's get away from this. We need to get somewhere a little safer."

Jackie grabbed ahold of Callie's hand in one hand and Chris's in the other, Callie grabbing Casper's hand and dragging him a long beside her.

Jackie and the kids walked for what seemed like forever. Jackie was trying to find somewhere where they could go and breathe easier, but this proved to be a difficult task.

They turned left up another street up ahead a little ways and all they saw was everything covered in soot. Everything was grey. The streets, the buildings, the cars, the people. Everything.

Jackie saw people on their phones, trying to call their loved ones, a lot of them crying. Callie being one of them. Her mother was in the South Tower and nobody knew if she made it out.

The tears steamed from Callie's eyes, creating lines on her face, washing the soot away from her cheeks. Callie wrapped her arms around Chris and held him tightly to her, sobbing into his chest.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Callie sobbed. She didn't know what she would do without him now. She'd be lost.

Jackie tried finding her breath as she looked down at Casper who was now sitting on the sidewalk, tears pouring from his eyes as well as he groaned in pain.

Jackie stepped over to him and kneeled down in front of him, grabbing his hands, "Casper, we're going to find a hospital, okay? We'll make sure you're okay. We'll all be fine."

Casper glared at Jackie, looking extremely pissed off, "No we won't! The fuckin' World Trade Centa' jus' collapsed and ye' think we're gonna be okay? Lower Manhattan is covered in ash! From the tower, the plane that destroyed it and the people that died inside of it! Do ye' know how many people work in those buildin's? Thousands! Thousands of people jus' died and nobody can begin ta' undastand why!"

Casper then broke down into sobs, tilting his head down so nobody saw him cry. Jackie tightened her hold on his hands as Callie and Chris stepped over to the two.

Jackie looked up to look at them and Callie silently told Jackie she could handle this. Callie did know Casper better than she did, Jackie had only met him today and obviously this kid had some issues.

Jackie squeezed Casper's hands once more before she released them and stood, letting Callie sit down next to Casper and look over at him, trying to find the right words to say.

Jackie looked over at Chris, who was wiping the lens of his camera, which he miraculously saved somehow. She saw his face contort in pain as he wiped his camera lens with his injured arm.

"There's a camera store over there," Chris said, pointing to the shop behind him somewhere, "I'm going to go buy some more film."

Jackie thought against it, not wanting to let any of the kids out of her sight, but she could see the film shop from here, so she nodded, "Hurry up. And I mean it."

Chris nodded, "I will. I promise."

Jackie was actually surprised people were still working down this street considering what had just happened. She watched as Chris jogged over to the video store and pushed open the door, disappearing inside.

When Chris entered the building, it was clean. There was a little bit of soot on the floor near the door, but the further you stepped in it was clean.

"Hey! You! I just clean floor! Get out! You get it dirty!" A small Asian woman yelled, glaring at him and pointing at the door.

Chris looked over his shoulder out the window that was covered in dust and looked back at the woman, "Did you see what just happened?"

"Yes! Now get out!" The woman yelled at him, but she stayed behind the desk.

Chris ignored her and approached the desk, "Do you sell digital video tape?"

"Yes," She snapped, glaring at him, very annoyed that he was ignoring her orders for him to get out, "DVD?"

"DV, mini DV?" Chris asked, cleaning the lens of his camera again.

Chris stood there and watched as the woman yelled over her shoulder, yelling somebody's name, "Quan!"

Chris stood there and watched as an older Asian man came into the room, his shoulders hunched as he looked between the woman and Chris.

The woman then started ordering him around in Japanese. The man turned and grabbed a box off the counter behind him and started rummaging through it, looking for Chris's tape.

Chris sighed in exhaustion, the pain in his arm starting to become more intense. His adrenalin was starting to falter and he wasn't so numb anymore, the pain would become unbearable in just a few minutes.

Chris watched as the man behind the woman handed her a small package and smacked the tape onto the counter as Chris asked, "How much?"

"17.99," The woman replied.

Chris pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled about twenty dollars out and handed it to the lady.

As he did that another man with a camera walked in and asked the man working there for some film as well.

"Buyin' film?" The man asked Chris.

Chris nodded as he put his wallet back in his pocket. Chris usually didn't talk to other people and just ignored them, but he felt like his social anxiety went straight out the window after what just happened.

"Yeah… Just in case," Chris replied.

"I heard they highjacked the planes," The man said as he waited for the man behind the counter to get his film, "They got one 767 to Boston, they highjacked it. And they flew it right into the World Trade Center. They said there's some more planes they got."

Chris shook his head and took the film out of his camera, put it in his camera bag and put the new film in.

"I gotta get home, man," The other man said, "My wife's probably nervous as hell. My kids…"

Chris shook his head, "Trains are probably down."

The other man nodded as Chris finished adjusting his camera, "Anybody ye' know up in them towers?"

Chris didn't look up, just kept fiddling with his camera, "Yeah… My girlfriend's mom was in the South Tower…"

The other man then got quiet for a moment and Chris heard him sigh sadly, "Jeez… Sorry 'bout that."

Chris nodded as he felt tears sting his eyes, "My Dad's in the other tower…"

"Oh…" The other man said, slumping his shoulders, "Uh—"

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything," Chris cut him off, "I'm sure he got out. He'll be fine. He was below the crash anyway."

The other man nodded and offered a reassuring smile, "Well, that's good! He prolly got out then!"

Chris nodded, "Yeah, probably…" Chris didn't believe any of that though, it was kind of hard to.

It was always easier to think negatively.

"Well, I better get going," Chris said, "My girlfriend's outside waiting for me, so…"

The other man nodded, "Yeah, well good luck to ye', kid. I hope yer Dad's a'right."

Chris smiled sadly before he turned towards the door, "Yeah, me too…"

0-0-0-0-0

Callie rubbed Casper's back as he cried, his head in his hands, his fingers running through his dark hair that was now coated in white.

"Casper…" Callie said quietly, putting a hand on his leg, just above the burn on his knee.

"I-I… All those people! Just gone! They're all dead!" Casper cried, his words hitting Callie hard, "How could they let this happen?"

Callie fought the tears once more, trying to be strong for her friend who was overwhelmed with pain, sadness and anger.

"I don't know…" Callie responded, her hand still rubbing his back.

Casper sobbed some more. He wanted to wipe his eyes, but it would only hurt him to do so. He was covered in soot and it was sickening to him.

"I'm sorry…" Casper cried, his voice catching in his throat as he let out another sob, "Your mom… Oh God…"

Callie bit down on her lip hard, hoping it would keep her from crying. She bit down so hard her lip started to bleed, but she didn't even feel the pain, her whole body was numb.

"Here comes Chris," Jackie suddenly said, her sentence followed immediately by a cough.

Chris walked back up the group, looking a little more solemn than before, but still hiding behind a strong mask as he spoke, "Somebody over there told me to go that way," Chris said, pointing down the street.

Callie looked down the street and saw several people making their way down there, she then looked back down at Casper and Callie. Callie had her arms over Casper's shoulders and his head was tilted down, tears falling from his eyes as Callie tried comforting him, even though she was broken too.

They shouldn't have to go through this. Kids were meant to be able to get upset, the adults would usually handle everything that was going wrong, but here the kids were, being strong for one another, trying not to let their emotions get the best of things.

Callie was broken, but she tried powering through it. Chris had yet to show any sign of sadness, but eventually it'd over power him and he'd break just as well. Casper's life was already shattered before all of this happened, now it just got worse.

It made Jackie nauseous just thinking about how these kid's lives all just changed in a split second.

Jackie drew in a sharp breath, her throat dry as she spoke, "Alright guys, come on. We need to keep moving."

Callie looked up at Jackie, her eyes sad before she looked back down at Casper, rubbing his arm again before helping him stand.

"We're going this way," Jackie said, pointing down the street that Chris had previously mentioned, "Everybody's going this way," Jackie looked over her shoulder at the other people in the street and yelled, "Come on, everybody's going this way!"

Jackie and the kids started down the street, people around them chattering amongst themselves as they wearily obeyed Jackie's directions.

As they walked, they overheard an older man talking to a girl about the tower that was still ablaze, "There were 60,000 people working in the first tower, can you imagine the second tower collapsed all the people were still probably trying to get out."

Donna was in the second tower. It didn't even burn for an hour. If that one came down, they were all sure the other one would too at some point. Jackie just prayed Donna got out of the South Tower in time and that Eric was already out of the North Tower.

"Do you know what time it happened?" The girl asked the man and he looked down at his watch, spitting on it and clearing it of dust, "The tower collapsed, oh I don't know, maybe ten minutes ago? And the other tower's been on fire for about an hour."

"Well, people must have been evacuated," The girl replied.

"You hope…" The man replied, and the next words really scared everybody, "But evacuating 60,000 people from the Trade Center… I was working there like 10 years ago and the power went out in the downtown area and it took them, like, three hours to evacuate all those people… There's no way you could evacuate all those people in thirty to forty minutes."

Jackie put her hand on Chris's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly, guiding him and the other kids down the street.

Chris turned on his camera and started filming the scene around him. All you saw were people covered in soot. Some were covered in blood and some were burned.

Casper walked clumsily down the sidewalk, his arm still over Callie's shoulder's as she supported him so he wouldn't fall over. Chris went over to the other side of him and helped Callie carry him as well, holding his camera in his other hand.

Jackie felt the bile rising in her throat as she just started to really take in everything. Callie was covered in blood, her arms and legs all cut up. Casper had horrible burns on his legs and Chris was braving through helping Casper walk, supporting his injured friend with his injured arm.

The group of them walked for a good ten minutes or so before they started to hear people yelling at each other. It wasn't until they turned the corner that they saw ambulances and paramedics scattered all around, helping the wounded.

There was a woman on the sidewalk, trembling in shock as she looked around blankly, the medics asking her questions and spraying water on her, trying to clean the blood off of her skin so they could see exactly where it was all coming from.

There was an older woman on a gurney as the medics gave her oxygen through a pump, two more medics lifting the gurney and carrying her into an ambulance.

And then there was another man lying on the sidewalk, unconscious. Somebody had poured water on his face to clean it of soot and they were now checking for a pulse and trying to get him to wake up.

The next thing they knew, they were being approached by a paramedic.

"We'll take you first," The woman said, looking at Casper, figuring his wounds were probably the worst and needed to be tended to as soon as possible.

The woman called over her shoulder for some help and soon enough a man came over to help her out as they both took Casper from Chris and Callie.

Chris videoed the scene around him as he threw an arm over Callie's shoulder, hugging her to him. Callie didn't even feel him touch her, she just watched as the medic's made Casper sit down.

Casper was in a lot of pain, he was crying as the medics inspected his wounds. Callie watched as the medic asked the other a question and she just responded with the shake of her head. She then said something to Casper and he nodded as he held his arms around himself, his fingers digging into his sides as he tried to quell the pain.

"We're going to have to take him to the hospital! There's not much we can do for him here! Who wants to ride with?" The woman called.

They looked between each other and then at Chris, who was probably the next most injured person here.

"Chris, you want to go with?" Jackie asked, her brow furrowed sadly.

Chris looked at the two girls before him and shook his head, "No. Callie should go first. She's covered in blood."

Callie shook her head, "No, I don't want to go alone."

Chris cast Callie a reassuring look, "Casper will be there, you're not going to be alone."

Callie shook her head, "We'll be separated when we get to the hospital—"

"Callie!" Jackie suddenly cried, "I promise you, we will be right behind you. I will not leave you alone. Okay? Just go."

Callie was quiet for a minute, but then she nodded, "Okay."

She quickly hugged Chris, kissed him on the cheek, hugged Jackie and then hobbled over to the ambulance. She was helped into the back of the vehicle by the medics and the next thing Chris and Jackie saw was them closing the doors, the siren starting up, and then they were gone.

Chris looked back over at Jackie and looked up down. They were blocks away now from the World Trade Center, but they could still the other building smoldering. It's been at least a half an hour since the South Tower fell and their hopes were shrinking.

They were starting to believe that neither Donna nor Eric had gotten out safely.

Chris just videoed the North Tower as it burned, trying to distract himself from thinking of Eric and Donna and just tried filming. But it didn't last long.

He heard a woman cry out and a man curse and looked up and saw the North Tower as it started to collapse. Chris only held his camera up for a second before he just dropped his arms by his sides, watching the building fall with his own eyes.

It was unbelievable.

All Chris heard around him was insanity. People cursing, screaming and crying. None of them able to comprehend the horrendous act of war that was declared upon them this day.

Chris had officially gone into shock. Everything around him became muffled, the pain in his arm didn't bother him anymore, his mind was a jumble of thoughts, he couldn't think straight. He didn't even notice Jackie falling to her knees and sobbing as she held herself, mourning the loss of loved ones and everyone else that was in that building.

The towers that Chris loved so much were just gone and in their place, dust, ash and debris.

Chris barely noticed two arms wrap around him. He didn't hug back, he didn't acknowledge their presence, he just stood and looked at the place the twin towers once stood tall and proud.

The person holding him was sobbing, Chris could feel their body racking with the sobs. Their hands clawed at Chris's shoulders and hugged him tightly, their face buried in his shoulder. It was at this time Chris realized it was Jackie.

"Dad…" Chris mumbled. It was the only time he'd ever actually called him that.

When telling people about Eric he would just tell them it was his father, it was easier than explaining the situation fully, and everybody assumed Eric was Chris's father, but Chris knew he wasn't, not biologically. Chris never called him Dad to his face and he never referred to Eric has his Dad to friends. He was always just Eric, a father figure.

But right now Chris realized Eric was his father and no one could tell him otherwise.

Eric's the one who taught him to ride a bike and swim, Eric took him bowling when he was seven and they went to the best ice cream place in the city. Eric taught him how ride a skateboard when he was eight and at ten they took a road trip to Niagara Falls. When Chris was twelve Eric realized that he liked to draw and paint, so when Chris asked for professional art lessons, professional art lessons he got. Eric bought him his first camera when he was thirteen and he's been taking pictures ever since.

All those memories came front and center in Chris's mind as he watched that tower fall, but he never cried. He was too shocked to do so.

"Sir!" Chris heard a man's voice, though it sounded muffled.

"Sir!" He heard again, followed by a rough tugging on his arm.

"Sir!" Once more before Chris looked over and saw a man a little shorter than him pleading for his attention. Chris stayed silent as the man spoke, "Yer hurt, ye' need ta' get ta' a hospital!"

Chris looked down at his arm and was amazed that the pain just seemed to go away. He felt numb. He looked back up and stayed silent as the man inspected him, "Yer in shock. C'mon, let's go. Yer Mom can come with!"

Chris looked down and saw Jackie clinging to his arm as the man started pulling him with him towards an ambulance, Chris muttering the word, "Okay…"

The next thing he knew he was sitting in the back of an ambulance as paramedics around him worked, one of them grabbing his arm gently and inspecting it. Jackie sat on the bench next to one of the paramedics, her head in her hands as she sobbed.

All Chris could do was look out the back window and watch as they drove away from the dust that clung in the air where the towers once stood.

0-0-0-0-0

It was later that night that Jackie and the kids finally got home. They decided to go to Eric's apartment, that's where Chris's mother was. She was probably sleeping by now, she usually crashed early.

When they walked into the apartment it took everything Jackie had not to burst into tears. The apartment reminded her of Eric. His green jacket was hung on the coat rack, his converse sneakers sat next to his skateboard that leaned up against the wall, his coffee cup still sat on the coffee table where he was watching TV really early this morning when he couldn't fall back asleep. The apartment even smelled like him.

The group were still covered in ash. Their faces and hair had been washed of it, but their clothes still were coated in a thin layer.

Casper had bandages around both legs after the doctors coated them in some weird liquid and gave him pain medication. Callie got stitches on her left arm where something had cut her pretty deeply and she was treated for infection, as most people at the hospital were. Turns out the pain in Chris's arm stemmed from a fractured bone, so now he wore a cast. And they were also all given oxygen as they tried to clean their systems of the dust that had inhaled for several hours.

"Uh, you kids, uh, you kids just go ahead and go get cleaned up, I'll just, uh, wait here," Jackie said, not looking up at either of the kids.

"Jackie," Callie said, making Jackie look up at her, but her eyes were blank, "We're here for you."

Jackie smiled sweetly and fought the tears as she looked back down at the floor, "Thank you guys."

Callie nodded and smiled and followed Chris back to his room as he looked for some clothes for her to wear.

That left Casper standing in the living room with Jackie as she stumbled over to the couch. She looked over at the broken boy and asked, "Casper… Oh God, I'm sorry. I've got to take you home. You're parents are probably worried sick about you and you about them—"

Casper shook his head, "No…" He stopped for a minute, closing his eyes as he voice became uneven, "Is it, uh… Is it okay if I stay here for tonight? Please?"

Jackie gave him an odd look. She was sure he'd want to go see his family, "But don't you—"

"Please, Miss Burkhart," Casper pleaded, looking her in the eye, his own showing nothing but pain.

Jackie faltered but nodded her head after a moment, "Yeah… Sure. That's fine."

Casper nodded and smiled a forced smile, "Thank you."

He then ventured down the hall Callie and Chris disappeared down, his feet dragging across the carpet before he disappeared into Chris's bedroom.

Jackie had gone by Donna's apartment before they came here. She never answered the door and when Callie found the spare key by the door and they went inside it was dark. No one ever came home. There were no messages left on the phone. Nothing. It was quiet and dark and no one was ever coming home.

Callie fought the tears but ended up crying in Jackie's arms. Thirteen years old and she'd already lost both parents. Jackie tried holding onto the hope that Donna and Eric were both still alive, but it was a very small sliver of hope.

Jackie let the tears fall from her eyes as she sat on the couch and mourned for her best friend and fiancé.

0-0-0-0-0

Chris let Callie shower first. He gave her a pair of old sweatpants and a Yankee's t-shirt to sleep in. Callie doesn't remember really cleaning herself while she was in the shower, she just remembers letting the water fall down on her as she cried quietly to herself.

Her father was killed when she was eleven and her mother was killed now at age thirteen. How could one young girl have so much tragedy in her short life?

Callie was in the shower for a good ten minutes before she got out and dried herself off as best as she could. After she got dressed she went back down the hall and into Chris's room, where he and Casper were both sitting on the floor.

Chris told Casper to go shower next, so he did. He was only gone for a few minutes before he came back wearing to big sweatpants and a too big t-shirt. He stumbled over to the floor and sat back down next to Callie as Chris stumbled out of the bedroom and down the hall to the bathroom.

Callie and Casper sat in silence for a minute, neither of them having the right words to say, because there were no right words to say at a time like this.

So Callie went with, "Why didn't you go home?"

Casper flinched a little as he stared blankly at the ground, "My dad's probably drinkin' tanight, no doubt…"

"But what about your mom? Don't you want to make sure she's alright?" Callie asked, looking over at Casper.

Casper shook his head as his lip quivered, but he stayed silent. Callie was surprised, "Why not? I thought you said—"

"She's not okay," Casper said weakly, his brow furrowing in sadness as he let out a choked sob.

"What?" Callie asked after a moment watching tears fall from Casper's eyes.

"She worked in the South Towa', a few floors above where the plane hit," Casper went on, "There's no way on earth that she got out. That plane destroyed every chance of gettin' out of there alive. And my sister… Oh God…"

He dropped his head and sobbed and Callie put a comforting hand on his arm, "Did your sister work there, too?"

Casper shook his head, "No… She… She…" It was as if he couldn't get words to form. Callie rubbed his arm soothingly, slowly trying to get him to speak, being patient for him, "She went ta' daycare there."

Callie felt her breath hitch in her throat as Casper continued, "She went ta' daycare on the 79th floor. That was 'round the area the plane hit…"

Casper started crying again, "She was four years old…"

Callie put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close as he rested his head on her shoulder, grabbing the hem of her shirt and gripping onto it for dear life as Callie let him cry.

He cried for a good ten minutes before Chris returned, his arm back in it's sling. He looked down at the two blankly, twitching a bit from anxiety. Callie noticed his uninjured hand was gripping the hem of his new clean shirt and he was twisting it tightly. He was about ready to hit his breaking point.

"Casper…" Callie said quietly, his head still on her shoulder as he sniffled, the tears had stopped flowing at this point. He's cried too much today. He was done.

Casper pulled his head off of his friend's shoulder and looked over at her before looking up to see Chris standing in the middle of the room, twisting his shirt, his eyes glassed over with unshed tears. Callie noticed his lip quiver and pulled away from Casper gently before standing up and going over to Chris, who was looking away from her and Casper.

"Chris…" Callie said quietly, putting a hand on his lower arm.

He flinched and looked up at her, and when he met her eyes the tears started flowing. He choked back a sob and dropped his head onto Callie's shoulder as she pulled him into her arms. Chris had stayed strong all day, he tried not to cry in front of his friends, but the turmoil and heartbreak of the day was bound to catch up with him.

So he stood there in Callie's arms, his arms holding tightly around her middle as he cried every tear he dared not to cry earlier. Callie rubbed his back and let herself cry as well, resting her head on his chest. Callie peeled one arm away from Chris and reached it out to her side, holding her hand out and gesturing for Casper to grab it.

Casper stood and grabbed hold of Callie's hand and she pulled him into their hug. She wrapped an arm around Casper and Chris did the same and they all just stood in the middle of Chris's tiny bedroom and cried together.

They cried for a long time, they don't know how long, but it was long.

Eventually, they ran out of tears to shed and they all pulled apart. They wiped the tears from their faces and sniffled. Chris adjusted his injured arm in his sling as Callie looked towards the doorway of Chris's bedroom.

She heard another voice in the living room, and it wasn't Jackie's. It was another woman's.

Callie raised an eyebrow, "Chris?"

Chris looked down at his girlfriend, but didn't make a sound.

"Who's talking to Jackie?" She asked.

Chris looked over his shoulder down the hall and sighed in relief, "Mom…" He then turned and dashed down the hall, getting quickly to the living room.

He saw his mom standing before the coffee table as Jackie still sat on the couch, wiping her face of tears as well.

Chris's mother was wearing a coat and her shoes were on. She was never dressed to go out, she usually stayed in. She looked tired and for once it wasn't because of the drunks and alcohol.

"Mom?" Chris said suddenly, garnering the attention of both Jackie and Barb.

Barb looked over at her son and let out a sigh of relief, tears immediately spilling out from her eyes and down her already puffy red cheeks.

"Chris," She said quietly, dashing over to him and wrapping her arms around her son, holding him tight, "Oh, thank God you're alright!"

Chris didn't hug his mother back, his hands just grabbed her arms and pushed her back a little as he looked up at her face, "Where were you?"

"Looking for you, of course!" Barb cried, as if that were a ridiculous question, "Since the first tower fell I've been looking for you."

Chris furrowed his brow sadly, "You mean, you actually… Care?"

Barbara furrowed her brow in sadness and shock, "Of course I care about, Chris. You're my son. And I know I do stupid things and I yell at you sometimes, but… I promise you I'm going to change. I'll go to rehab, I'll quit drinking and shooting up, I promise. Okay?"

Chris didn't know what to say. She's said this so many times before but she always went back to her old habits. But for some reason, this time he felt like she actually meant it. It was weird, but she seemed to be being truthful this time.

"Really?" Chris asked, a small glimmer of hope flickering in his brown eyes.

Barb smiled sweetly behind her tears and nodded, "Really. I promise. I'll even let you watch me get rid of everything."

Chris then hugged his mother, which he hasn't done in forever. That's one of the main reasons she took Chris to see a specialist when he was little, because he never hugged her. He only hugged Eric and that was very rare as well. But now, Chris hugged his mother gladly and she loved every minute of it.

0-0-0-0-0

It was half an hour later that Jackie found the messages on the phone. There was eight messages on the machine and they were all very weary to listen to them. But they knew they had to. So Jackie stood by the answering machine and her finger hovered over the play button, her nerves getting to her.

She was tired of crying, but she knew after listening to these that the tears would start up again.

So Jackie hit the button and the first message of eight started.

 _"_ _Hey, it's me, Donna,"_ The voice said and Callie covered her mouth in shock, the tears already falling as Chris grabbed her hand and squeezed supportively, _"I saw what happened in the other building. There's a lot of smoke, I can see it out the window. I know Callie usually comes over to see Chris after school and she never checks the messages at home, so I figured I'd call there. So, I just wanted to let you know I'm alright and I'll see you when I get home, love you, bye."_

The line clicked and Callie choked back a sob as he tightened her grip on Chris's hand, leaning into him as the next message began.

 _"_ _Hey, it's me,"_ Eric's voice spoke, and Jackie's breath hitched in her throat, _"Uh, I'm okay. Everything's good here on my floor. I heard the explosion and thought it was a bomb but I've just been told it was a plane? Anyway, I'm okay. I think we're going to be evacuating soon, so I'll see you guys when I get home. Love you, bye."_

The line went dead and the next message began to play. Jackie wasn't crying, not yet. Maybe he got out? Jackie could only hope and pray.

 _"_ _Um, it's Donna again, and um…"_ She coughed before continuing, you could hear people crying, screaming, yelling and talking very loudly in the background, _"I think another plane just hit the building,"_ She coughed, _"There's a lot of smoke. We're getting ready to go try and find a way out of here, so… I'm fine, I'll be fine. I love you and I'll see you when I get home."_

The message stopped and moved onto the next one, Callie sobbing harder now into Chris's shoulder, _"I just heard another explosion. I don't know what happened, but it can't be good. So, anyway, we're evacuating now, but I think I'm going to go upstairs with a few other guys and see if we can help rescue anybody, so… I'll see you when I get home."_

Eric hung up the phone and Jackie cried. It was so like him to put others before himself, he always did that, most of the time anyway.

 _"_ _It's Eric again…"_ He sounded in pain as he spoke, _"I'm fine, don't worry about me, I just hurt my leg a little on the stairwell. Something fell from above and landed on me, but I'm fine. I can make it out of here. I just wanted to call and fill you in on where I was and if I was alright. I'm fine and I'll be home soon. Love you."_

Click. Jackie's hope was quickly running thin. Every message they got was crushing every sliver of hope they had left that they're families are alright.

 _"_ _Callie, it's your mom,"_ Donna said, her voice shaking. She was crying, _"I love you, so much, baby, I hope you know that. I didn't call to scare you but… It doesn't look so good from where I'm sitting. There's so much smoke and I can't breathe so well… I'm under my desk right now and I'm lying on the floor, this is the only way I can_ seem _to get any kind of air—"_ She coughed before continuing, _"I love all of you very much. I hope you're all okay. Please take care of Callie, Chris. You're her favorite person in the entire world…"_ Cough, _"She loves you so much…"_ Donna was gasping for air now, _"Stick together, alright? You're really good for each other. I love you so much, Callie baby. I—"_

Then the line went dead. Callie was sobbing uncontrollably as it was confirmed her mother was never coming home. Chris held her tight as tears fell from his eyes as well. Jackie was in shock as Casper and Barbara sat on the couch behind them all, looking on solemnly.

There were only two messages left.

 _"_ _It's Eric again,"_ He coughed, _"We can't get upstairs so we're heading down now. I just called to let you know that I'll be home soon, I've just come to grab my stuff and—"_ He suddenly stopped talking and Jackie panicked for a moment, thinking this was it, but he started speaking again, but he seemed panicked now, _"Holy shit! The other tower just collapsed! Oh god, oh god…"_ He was wheezing now, panic setting in, _"Oh jeez… I—Donna was in that building—Oh no… I-I'm sorry, I've got to go, I love you."_

The phone went dead. There was one message left. Jackie let it play, terrified for what it was.

 _"_ _I'm on the tenth floor,"_ Eric said, _"We had to take the stair's, we're exhausted. I just wanted to call and let you know I love you all, just in case. Chris buddy, keep doing what you love. You're an amazing photographer and artist, I hope all your dreams come true, I love you bud…"_ Eric started breathing heavily, as if he couldn't catch his breath, _"Jackie… We were going to get married and move to Brooklyn. Buy a nice little house and have five kids, just like you wanted. Five boys. I—"_ He stopped talking for a minute to try and keep himself from crying, _"I don't want to die, Jackie… I thought I did, but I don't… I'm sorry, I need to get off the phone. We're on the seventh floor now. I love you so much, goodbye."_

The phone went dead and Jackie started blankly at the machine. Did he get out? Didn't he? From what it seems, he didn't. And Jackie would have to break that news to his parents. She'd also have to break the news to Donna's.

There were no messages from Red or Kitty on the machine. They must have called Eric's cell phone. Jackie left hers at her place.

Jackie looked up and saw Chris holding Callie as she cried, he was crying too. Barb was crying as well, she had known Eric for nearly ten years now, he'd practically raised her son. Casper sat next to Barb, his eyes blankly staring at the answering machine.

They all just sat there for several minutes, trying to take in everything they just heard. It was almost ten o'clock now, they should all go get sleep, it's been the longest day.

"Can I call my Dad?" Casper suddenly asked, everybody looking in his direction.

Jackie nodded slowly and picked up the phone and handed it to him. Casper picked it up and dialed his step-fathers number, a little nervous as to what he would have to say to him.

Everybody around him sat in tense silence as Casper heard the phone ring, he was just waiting for him to answer. It seemed like he would never answer, but he did.

"Hello?" He slurred, sounding tired.

Casper was quiet for a minute, not sure what to say, so his father said again, "Hello?"

Casper fumbled with the phone for a minute, swallowing thickly before speaking, "Dad. It's me, Casper."

"Casper?" The man replied, "W-where are ye'? Are ye' a'right?"

Casper nodded but then realized he couldn't see him, "Yeah, yeah… I'm a'right. I'm fine."

"Well, where are ye'?" His dad asked, "Are ye' at a friend's house or somethin'?"

"Yeah, I'm stayin' with a couple a' friends… Is that a'right?" He asked, nervous his father would begin yelling at him.

The line was silent for a minute before his dad spoke again, "Just stay where ye' are for the night, a'right? I don't want ye' to come home."

It hurt Casper a little but at first. Did he not care that much? But then he went on with, "I'm drinkin' a lot right now and… And I don't want to hurt ye', so… So don't come home for a while okay? Are ye' with some good people?"

Casper nodded and felt tears burn in his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. They're great people, dad…"

"Well good, stay there for a couple of days while I try to deal with this fuckin' horrible nightmare. I'll give ye' a call when I think I'm doin' better," He replied.

Casper then asked Jackie if he could give his father their number and she let him and he recited the phone number to his father.

"A'right Casper, I'ma try an' go lie down and get some sleep," His dad said, "I'm sorry 'bout yer motha' and Kylie… They were good girls… I love ye', son."

That was the first time Casper's ever heard him say that to him. Casper tried not to cry again and he bit his lip as he replied, "I love ye', too, pops."

"A'right, well… Try and get some sleep, it'll make ye' feel betta'. Goodnight," His dad said.

"A'right. Goodbye…" Then the line went dead.

Casper shakily put the phone back down and looked up at his friends. Callie put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly, forcing a smile, "Come on, Casper. We're going to go try and get some sleep."

Casper nodded and shakily stood, his heart racing. Jackie looked over at the kids and said, "Guys…"

They all looked over at her, all of them wearing solemn expressions as Jackie suddenly walked over and hugged Callie, "I'm so sorry…"

Callie tightly hugged Jackie back, but she tried not to cry. They stood there for a solid minute or two, both them keeping their tears held back. After Callie pulled away, Jackie went to hug Chris. She wrapped her arms around him and he hugged her back, but not as tight as Callie had.

"I'm sorry about your dad, Chris," Jackie said, biting her lip to keep the tears back.

"He was your fiancé," Chris said, his head resting on her shoulder, "I'm sorry."

Jackie rubbed his back soothingly and hugged for a minute longer. He pulled away from her and went back to stand by Callie. The three teenagers were about to go head down the hall, but Jackie grabbed Casper's arm.

She looked at him for a moment and he looked at her, and then Jackie hugged him. She hugged this kid she barely knew because he lost a mother and sister that day and he needed somebody there for him. He had Chris and Callie sure, but his father told him not to come home. Jackie hugged him because he needed a parent figure right now and she was all he had.

They both cried a little bit, and Jackie saw over Casper's shoulder Barb hugging both Callie and Chris. They were crying again as well. Those phone calls basically confirmed what they all feared the most and now they could finally mourn.

0-0-0-0-0

 _"_ _But it was the people who spoke loudest in their silence, and in Warsaw, in song,"_ The newscaster said as Jackie stared at the TV blankly, not really actually paying attention to what was going on, _"The liberties now threatened by terrorism are no more appreciated than in Eastern Europe. The final word of the day, though, may have been uttered by a woman in Paris. 'Today' she said, 'We are all Americans.'"_

Everything on the news tonight was about the events in New York City today, which was to be expected, it'd be the news for at least a week. Eventually, everybody would heal. Nobody would ever forget this day and the fear it struck in the people of the world, but not everybody would ever truly feel the pain of those who lost someone on this horrible day.

People lost friends, people lost husbands and wives, people lost brothers and sisters, people lost sons and daughters, and probably most horribly, children lost mothers and fathers.

Jackie was sad, but she could slowly feel the anger building up inside of her, an anger that would never truly leave her.

Jackie looked down the hall, one lamp lit the dim path. The kids and Barb had all gone to sleep over an hour ago now. It was nearly eleven thirty now, the news was almost over. Jackie knew she needed sleep, but she wasn't sure she would get any tonight.

All that was on her mind was Eric.

The last call to the apartment was him telling her he was on the seventh floor. The answering machine said that it was recorded only minutes before the tower collapsed, and if Eric had survived, Jackie figured he would have come home by now.

It was hard to believe. This morning he blew a kiss to her from the front door before he left for his presentation. He glared at her and told her she better catch it, to which she replied with doing that very thing and putting it in her pocket.

Jackie placed her hand on the pocket of her sweatpants and sighed sadly, tears pushing against her eyes again.

Jackie looked across the room at the front door before she stood and decided to go get a drink, her throat feeling dry. She stood shakily and slowly stumbled into the kitchen, her feet skidding across the floor tiredly.

She just felt like giving up. Her shoulders were slumped, her eyes had dark circles under them, her body was trembling.

Jackie went to the cupboard and opened it up, grabbing the first glass she saw and then she stepped over to the sink to fill the cup with water. As she turned the taps on she looked over to the counter. Eric's medication sat on it next to a dish towel and a dirty cup. All of that was from this morning when he had to take his meds.

Jackie sighed again and turned the taps off before bringing the glass of water to her lips. She took a few sips, poured the rest of the water down the drain, set the cup down in the sink, and then stumbled back around the counter before going back into the living room.

She sniffled as she stumbled back towards the couch, trying to keep herself from crying. She's already cried so much today, she was tired of it. She was tired of everything. She could already see what it would be like when she went back to work.

People would all tell her how sorry they were for her loss and if she needed anything, and then people would give her things and send her things, then eventually everyone would move on and forget about her, all thinking she's moved on as well, but really she'd always hurt. No one just got over something like this.

It was different if a loved one died of cancer or some kind of illness at the end of their life. But when they died because of senseless violence, you always wondered why it happened. Why did they die? How did this happen?

Jackie would always ask herself these things, but she'd never have an answer.

Jackie sat back down on the couch and looked back at the TV. The news was just finishing up, the last story of the day being discussed and it was about World Trade 7 collapsing that afternoon. Jackie sighed and reached for the remote on the coffee table. She figured she should at least try and get some sleep.

Just as she was about to grab the remote, her hand hovering over it, she heard something creak. She looked up in alarm, looking around, trying to find the source of the sound. She looked down the hall. Maybe one of the kids had gotten up?

Jackie didn't see anything. She sighed again and shook her head. Now she was hearing things. Today's made her lose her mind.

Jackie went to grab the remote again when she heard something slam. She gasped in alarm and jumped back into the couch. She looked around the dark room, the only thing offering any source of light was the television and the dim golden glow of the lamp in the hallway.

She heard some more creaking of the floorboards. Had somebody broken in? Jackie suddenly felt fearful again and grabbed the nearest thing she could find. The coffee mug it was. It was heavy, maybe she could use it as a weapon.

Jackie stood and crept around the coffee table, slowly inching towards the door. She leaned to the right a little to reach for the lamp on the table right before the hall and pulled on the chain, turning it on. Once the room was lit a little more, Jackie got her voice to work.

"Who's there?" She called, raising the mug in her hand, ready to strike the person over the head, "Show yourself!"

The creaking of the floorboards became louder and the person made themselves visible in the dim glow of the room. Jackie suddenly gasped and the coffee mug slipped from her hand, crashing to the ground and shattering into a dozen pieces.

The person standing before her was covered in soot, blood on their arms and face, their eyes blank and emotionless, their whole body trembling.

"Eric?" Jackie said quietly, her voice shaking as tears threatened her eyes.

Eric suddenly tossed his keys onto the small table by the door, where he was always put his keys before he looked down at Jackie, his eyes harboring no emotion.

"There was a lot of smoke," Eric spoke, his voice shaking as his eyes glassed over, "I couldn't breathe… We went downstairs, but we couldn't rescue anybody…"

Jackie took a small step forward, careful of his current situation. He was definitely in shock as he recited what had happened to her.

"We were a little over a block away when the building collapsed… Something burned my arm…" Eric continued, "Everybody I was with was gone, so I wandered around for a while. I think I had a seizure or something, because I passed out and a firefighter woke me a few hours later. He wanted to take me to a hospital, but I had to see if you were okay… So I wandered around for a couple of hours, I didn't know where I was, everything was so different. I was surrounded by dust and rubble. The firefighter said it was miraculous that I survived…" Eric furrowed his brow a little, finally showing a little emotion on his face as his once bright eyes looked into Jackie's, "Are… Are you okay?"

Jackie had tears trailing down her cheeks, her body was shaking as she choked back a sob, "Eric? Is it really you?"

Eric stayed silent as he looked around the room, seemingly confused. Jackie took a few steps towards him, reaching her hand out to touch him. Her hand brushed the dust covered sleeve of his ripped and mangled shirt before her fingers brushed against his arm. She choked back a sob as she grabbed his hand and he looked down at her.

"Jackie…" He said under his breath, his face finally showing a little emotion.

Jackie finally let herself cry as she launched herself into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close, burying her head into his shoulder and crying. She didn't care that he was covered in dust, ash, and debris. She was just glad he was safe.

She repeatedly sobbed his name over and over, as if she couldn't believe he was standing before her, wrapped in her arms. He didn't respond to her touch at first, he was too shocked to really fully grasp what was going on around him, but eventually Jackie's felt his light as a feather touch on her back before he slowly tightened his arms around.

He was shaking horribly and it took Jackie a moment to realize he was crying now too. Jackie tightened her arms around him and cried harder, out of purse sadness, relief and joy. She was so happy he was okay.

They stood there in each other's arms for what seemed like an eternity before Jackie heard footsteps behind her.

"What's going on?" She heard a sleepy Chris ask.

She finally peeled herself away from Eric and turned to look at Chris, though her hand tightly held onto Eric's.

"Eric…?" Chris said tiredly, as if this might be a dream. And then he realized that Eric was actually standing in his living. Chris suddenly smiled and cried, "Dad!"

He ran over to his father and ambushed him with a hug. He nearly knocked Eric over and Jackie's ears were overwhelmed with the sound of Eric's laughter. She almost cried just hearing it. A noise she thought she'd never hear again.

She watched as Eric wrapped his arms around Chris and held him tight against him, kissing the side of his head as Chris sobbed into his shoulder in pure joy.

The next thing everyone knew, Callie, Barb and Casper all came down the hall, curious to know what all the commotion was about. Jackie then watched as Callie and Barb joined in on Eric's and Chris's hug. It was a heartwarming moment really, and Jackie felt her heart swell in happiness, something she thought she'd never feel.

So she joined in on the group hug, everyone crying and sometimes letting out a small laugh of joy. Casper didn't join in on the hug, but he enjoyed watching the family reunite. Callie's mother wasn't there with them, and Casper's mother and sister were still gone, but he was still glad that they had a little bit of happiness that stemmed from this day.

It's what they all needed.

0-0-0-0-0

September 17, 2001

It was that next Monday that the kids went back to school. The school's in Lower Manhattan shut down for the rest of last week, deciding the give the kids who attended the schools a little time to take in what had happened and heal, even if it was just a little.

Chris and Callie left for school about half an hour ago. They were both nervous, this was the first time they've left the house since the events on September 11th. But they put on a brave front and they went to school anyway, no matter how scared they were.

On the night that Eric returned and after all the commotion had died down, Eric called his parents to tell them he was okay. They all cried and talked on the phone for over an hour. He told them about Donna though, but they still had hope that'd she's come back like he did. But it's been a week now and still Donna hadn't come back. They'd all accepted what had happened to her at this point, but Callie still came home every day and listened to the messages on the answering machine that her mother left. Every day that went by though, she cried a little less. She considered herself lucky to have such good friends and family. Eric, Jackie, Chris and even Casper were really helping her through it.

Right now, Jackie and Eric sat on the couch, both of them just enjoying each other's company. Jackie sometimes still couldn't believe Eric was alive, she sometimes had dreams that he didn't make it out of the tower or he was crushed by the falling debris. She always woke up in tears and Eric would hold her and tell her he was alright and that he wasn't going anywhere.

Eric had his arm thrown over Jackie's shoulders as he held her close as they stared at the TV screen, both of them deciding to take a day off, figuring they'll go back to work tomorrow to begin to get back on their everyday routine. For now, they just wanted to be alone together.

"I'm glad you're okay, Eric," Jackie said after a few moments of watching TV in silence.

Eric looked down at her and smiled sweetly, "I'm glad you're okay."

Jackie smiled up at him and rested her head on his chest, "I thought I'd never see you again…"

Eric sighed through his nose sadly and rubbed Jackie's back, "Jackie…"

"I know, you don't like talking about, I don't think anybody does, but… I just needed to let you know I don't know what I'd do without you," Jackie said.

Eric stayed silent as Jackie continued, "I'd have to help Barb raise Chris, I'd have to raise Callie since I'm her Godmother… I'd have to do so much on my own…"

Eric raised an eyebrow, "Chris can mostly take care of himself, he's done it for years. He doesn't like people helping him out. Callie, well… She's a bit of a hand full, but she's better when she's with Chris… I think you can do anything, Jackie, if I'm here or not."

"Yeah, but it just wouldn't be the same…" Jackie replied sadly, "Everything's better when you're here."

Eric smiled and blushed a little, "Well, look at you, getting all sentimental on me… What's gotten into you?"

Jackie shrugged and wiped her eyes as tears started to form there, "I don't know, I've just been a little emotional lately."

Eric shrugged his shoulders, "Well, that's to be expected. I mean, look at what just happened, you're allowed to be a little upset. More than a little upset, you're allowed to be distraught."

Jackie smiled and shook her head, "No, that's not it. Or, it's not my only reason for being upset."

Eric furrowed his brow curiously, "What do you mean?"

Jackie smiled suddenly and pulled away from Eric so she could get a better look at him, "Well, you know how over the weekend I was feeling a little sick?"

Eric nodded, "You were feeling that way last week. You went to the hospital yesterday because you threw up."

Jackie nodded, "Yeah. I thought it was the stomach flu and I went in thinking they'd give medicine or something for that, but…"

"But what?" Eric then realized something, "Wait. Are you saying what I think you're saying? Are you—"

Jackie suddenly beamed and that was all Eric needed to know. Eric was in shock for a moment, then Jackie watched as his face contorted with several different emotions, finally landing on joy.

"Wait… We're going to be…" Eric couldn't believe it, he suddenly sat up and grabbed Jackie's hands, beaming down at her belly before looking back up into her eyes, "I'm going to be a dad? Like, for real?"

Jackie giggled and nodded, "Yep."

Eric laughed and wrapped his arms around Jackie, giggling like a little girl in pure joy, "Oh my god! I'm going to be a dad!" Eric pulled away and looked down at Jackie, holding her arms in his hands, "You're going to be a mom! We're going to be parents! Oh my god!"

Jackie laughed watching how excited he was getting before he wrapped her in a hug again. They sat this way for God knows how long, they were just happy they could finally start their lives together. Nothing made them happier.

0-0-0-0-0

Chris followed Casper into class that morning right at eight o'clock. Usually when they entered the classroom the teacher had something written down on the board, but today it was blank.

Chris thought that was odd, but he didn't say anything as he went to go sit at his desk towards the middle of the room.

Casper sat in the back of class, two rows behind Chris, he always has. Chris looked back at his friend who sat in his chair and looked back at him, an odd expression on his face as he shrugged his shoulders. Both boys looked back towards the front of the class as the teacher's heels suddenly clacked against the tile floor, garnering the entire classes' attention. Unlike most days, the class was silent, even before the teacher walked in.

The woman who was at least in her mid-thirties looked up at the class after placing her purse down on her desk. She wore a smile, but her eyes told a different story.

"Good morning, class," She said as she walked to stand up in the front of the room, "I know a lot of you are probably still feeling saddened and shocked by the events that took place nearly a week ago, as most everybody still is," She began, "As you all know, this is our first class since the tragedy that took place last week. I just need to ask you like I've asked everybody at home, the people who work here, and what we need to ask everybody and that's, are you okay?"

A few of the kids muttered a yes and some kids stayed silent. The classroom was quiet for a moment before the teacher started speaking again.

"Good. Now, as the first assignment for the day I need each and every one of you to tell us how you're feeling. Just one word to describe your feelings, I ask for just one word. That's all. I just need to know how you're feeling. So… If we could begin with the back of the class," She said, pointing to the girl in the far back left corner.

The class then went around, saying one word that described their feelings of the events and aftermath of the events that shook the world just a week prior. Some kids said sad, some said afraid, one said hopeless and another said lost. Casper said useless. He felt like he could do nothing to help anyone. So he said he felt useless.

Then it was Chris's turn. The teacher looked at him and spoke his name. He looked up and then around at the class. Chris always hated talking in front of the class, it made him feel sick. It was just a reaction of being terrified of talking in front of people. But today, Chris didn't feel that.

Instead of saying a word, Chris stood and got up from his chair. Everyone heard the creaking of the chair sliding against the tile floor and they looked up as they watched Chris step to the front of the room. The teacher watched as he went to the empty chalk board and watched as he picked up a piece of the white used chalk as he held it up the board and wrote one word.

The word he wrote wasn't an emotion or feeling, it was something much more powerful than that. He wrote the word 'liberty' on the board. After he finished doing that, he set the chalk down and turned to face the class, not making eye contact with anybody, both his fists clenched nervously.

"Chris?" The teacher said quietly, curious concern lacing her words.

Chris released a nervous sigh before he looked up at the class, his eyes wide behind his glasses before he spoke.

"My girlfriend have people come up to her every day and offer sympathy," Chris started, feeling like now was his time to truly let people know how he felt about what happened, "Every day she's constantly reminded she's lost somebody when all she wants to do is heal. Not forget, but heal…"

Everybody stared intently at Chris, genuinely interested in what he had to say.

"I woke up this morning and all I wanted to do was lie in bed and cry, but… I knew that if I wanted to heal like everybody else is trying so hard to do, I had to at least get out of my bed. So… I got up and came back here, to school," He said, his voice breaking just a little, "It's going to be a long while before we truly feel happiness again, but, I hope some of you will talk to your friends today and maybe smile, maybe laugh, because that's what we need right now."

Chris turned to look at his teacher before he went on, "When you told me what we had to do this morning as an assignment, on a normal day, I'd panic. Speaking in front of the class is a huge fear of mine, but my phobia doesn't seem so terrifying anymore, I've seen much worse now. I don't think speaking in front in front of the class and embarrassing myself is going to bother me anymore…"

Chris's voice was getting weak, you could tell he was trying not to get choked up.

"Just last night, my friend Casper," Chris pointed to his friend in the back of the class who was looking right at him, "He made us laugh, and just the idea that we can still laugh after what's happened is amazing…" Chris said, "Our lives have changed. We're broken, but we're trying so hard to be happy. One day we will be, we will be happy again. And that's awesome. It means we've won," Chris smiled a little bit before continuing, "Now I didn't get up here to tell you you're going to be okay, not to tell you how brave you are… We're feeling unbearable pain right now…"

Chris tried not to cry, but the tears were pushing at his eyes, trying to fall down his face, but he fought it a little longer.

"I still have hope. This country was attacked, and I still have hope. Because we can recover. We will recover like we did after Pearl Harbor, after JFK was shot, and after Martin Luther King was shot," A few tears rolled down Chris's face as he spoke, "The media and politicians keep telling us these people that did this had extreme wit, and skill. Any idiot can blow something up. They're cowards. But we, the people of the United States, we're rebuilding. We're helping people. People we don't even know. We offer comfort to those in need, we volunteer to help the wounded, we build things that were destroyed. And that's why we've already won. They can't break us. Not anymore."

Chris pushed his glasses up for a minute to wipe his eyes of tears before settling them back on the bridge of his nose.

"Me and my girlfriend used to go to this park. Every day we went to this park, and the view from this park was the World Trade Center," He choked back a sob again, seemingly getting a little angry, which was understandable, everybody was, "And now it's gone. They destroyed it. These beautiful towers that both my dad and my girlfriend's mother worked in, those beautiful towers that I just loved to look at, those towers I thought would always be there because nothing can break something so tall and strong… And they're gone… But you know what I see when I go to that park now?"

Chris sniffled, "The Statue of Liberty… They can take away our happiness, they can make us feel hopeless, and they can take away the ones we love…" Chris was trying so hard not to cry, "But they can't take away our liberty. We may not have happiness now, but we will again on day. We may feel hopeless, but our hope is still buried deep down in us somewhere. And we may think the ones we love are gone," Chris looked at Casper as he said this, "But they're always close, even when they feel far away," Chris saw a tear roll down Casper's face, a tear he quickly wiped away as he watched Chris proudly as he finished his speech, "Just know that, as the president said, I hear you, the country can hear you, and soon enough the people that took those towers down will soon be hearing all of you… Thank you."

Chris slowly slunk back to his desk and sat down, every eye in the classroom on him.

"Thank you, Chris, that was very well said," The teacher said as she walked back to the front of the class.

Chris was then met with several slaps on the back and encouraging words from his classmates. Things like 'wait to go, Chris,' or 'well said, man,' and 'thanks for making me cry, Chris,' by Casper. Chris smiled at that a little and was met with a small chuckle from his friend as the class resumed as it normally would.

0-0-0-0-0

Chris walked towards the corner at the bus stop that afternoon. He usually went there to meet up with Callie and then they'd go home. He had to walk by several small businesses on the way there and everybody had either a memorial set out, an American flag hanging up, or a note for the victims in their families in their windows.

Chris walked by this one place every day though, and a man named Volker lived there. He was from Germany but he moved here when he got a little older. He was always complaining about how this country treats immigrants and how this country treats him poorly. He always says he hates it here. Chris always wanted to ask him if he hated it here so much why didn't he just leave? But he never did, he just let it be.

But today, as Chris was walking by the man's bakery, he saw him hanging an American flag next to his German one as if to say, Germany stands with America.

Chris stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and looked up at him and watched him hang it. The man was just finishing up when Chris got there and he climbed down from his ladder and brushed his hands off as he looked up at the two flags proudly. He then started to grab his ladder and take it back inside when he caught Chris watching him out the corner of his eye.

They just looked at each other for a minute. Have you ever looked at someone and said more words with your eyes than a single sound from your mouth could speak? That's what happened right then and there.

Chris smiled warmly at the man and the man smiled back at him, throwing a hand up to wave at him, "Chris," He said.

Chris smirked, "Mr. Bruhl," He said, "Nice flags."

The man smiled up at the flags and then back at Chris, "Nice country."

Chris smiled wider and the man smiled back before he collected his ladder and went back inside to put it away. Chris started back down the street again, his hands clutching the straps of his backpack as he walked.

He stopped at the bus stop at the corner of the street and waited for his friend's to meet up with him. As he stood there waiting, though, he cast his forward. Straight down the street was ground zero, it was a little distance away, but you could see it.

You could hear construction noises as they cleared rubble from the area. The area Chris's favorite thing about New York used to stand. But Chris thinks he actually likes something better than those towers now.

As Chris looked towards ground zero he saw a fireman, his hat on but his large fireproof coat was somewhere else, he just wore a blue t-shirt that the name of his fire department on it. He was working away at rebuilding a broken city and that's what Chris liked most about New York.

The people. The people were the best and nothing could ever break them down, not even the most powerful of armies.


	21. Chapter 21

Hey guys, thank you so much for reading this story, I hope you liked reading it as much as I loved writing it. I loved reading every review, they all made me smile. I'm writing this Author's Note to tell you that I've posted the first chapter of the sequel, it's OC based, but I'm taking the risk and writing it. Anyway, I hope to see you over at the other story and I hope you enjoy that story as much as you enjoyed this one. As always, have a nice day.


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